Let there be light: report from the launch of lighting production for Lada Azimut in Tolyatti

Recently, news from Tolyatti has been arriving with commendable regularity. We had barely reported on the debut of the new generation of engines and the start of serial production of the seriously updated Niva Legend, when we had to fly back to the birthplace of AVTOVAZ once again. This time, the grand opening of a new production line for optics for the upcoming Lada Azimut crossover took place there.

Let us note right away that the new production facility does not directly belong to AVTOVAZ, because the modern automotive industry in any case implies cooperation with hundreds of suppliers and various subcontractors. The production of lighting equipment for the Azimut was undertaken by Lighting Solutions, a company founded in September 2023 and located on the territory of the special economic zone “Tolyatti.” To date, the company has mastered assembly, injection molding of plastic parts, and the production of modern LED optics.

The company supplies headlamps and taillights to the assembly lines of the Tolyatti automobile plant for models such as Granta, Niva Travel, and Largus, as well as fog lights for Granta, Largus, and Iskra. However, the production of modern optics for the new Azimut crossover required a kind of technological leap: the company was the first in Russia to master three-component molding of large-sized parts.

1.9 billion rubles were invested in the new technological lines, and the total investment in the project exceeded 3.5 billion rubles. The work was carried out, of course, in cooperation with AVTOVAZ, as well as with the support of the Samara Region government and the Industrial Development Fund.

The key component of the new line was a modern high-power injection molding machine – an automated injection molding machine used for manufacturing parts from thermoplastics by injection molding. This machine is truly impressive: it provides a clamping force of 2,800 tons, which makes it possible to produce a one-piece taillight of complex geometry as long as the tailgate – that is, almost the width of the car. No less impressive is the multi-ton mold – the heart of the injection molding machine, where the direct formation of the final product takes place.

The significance of the new production facility for the plant was emphasized by AVTOVAZ President Maxim Sokolov: “I am confident that the project will become one of the jewels in the crown of our products.” And here is the key moment: Giorgio Verducci, Maxim Sokolov, and the head of the Tolyatti administration, Ilya Sukhikh, simultaneously pressed the buttons, the machine started working, and after a while the first produced central taillight for the Azimut crossover appeared on the output conveyor belt.

However, the Azimut’s lighting equipment is not just a new taillight, but a whole range of high-tech elements. Thus, the crossover’s headlights are equipped with fully LED Lada Xvision elements, which use a patented cooling system in their design. It is necessary for stable operation of the diodes, preventing overheating, and maintaining light brightness in different climatic conditions.

Well, overall, Lighting Solutions is quite ready to produce a full set of lighting equipment for AVTOVAZ’s new model – these are headlights and daytime running light sections, as well as central, side, and fog lights. The enterprise’s capacities are designed to produce up to 80 thousand sets of optics per year, which means that all the needs of the Tolyatti auto giant for lighting equipment for the Lada Azimut will be fully covered.

It is gratifying that the enterprise does not intend to rest on its laurels – thoughtful work is already underway to expand the product range. Time will tell how successful the Azimut itself will be, but it is nice that its light is being lit here, in Russia. After all, the development of the automotive industry is measured not only by the number of cars produced, but also by the number of technologies that the country has learned to create independently.