UAZ plant may become partially Indian and produce a copy of Jeep CJ-5

UAZ is on the verge of bankruptcy! It may be closed, but there is hope that the enterprise will be bought out by Indian businessmen.


The Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant has not changed much over the past 15 years. The only major achievement of the company was the appearance of the Patriot model in 2005.

But time goes by, cars receive further changes, but do not change externally. "Loaves" and "Hunters" are still being produced, which are long overdue for retirement.

Ford Sollers, which owns the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, has teased consumers for years. Either they are going to release new generations of their most popular models, or there will be a “Loaf” of the second generation. And then the "Russian Prado" will appear!



But recently the head of Ford Sollers said that the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant is unprofitable. Therefore, it is not planned to invest in production. In addition, it is possible that the plant will be closed altogether if it continues to bring only losses.

There are rumors that UAZ has long been looking for a foreign partner who can pull the company out of the crisis. The most important thing here is multimillion-dollar investments, as was already the case with AvtoVAZ in its time.

So far, not one major global automaker has officially expressed a desire to become a partner of the Ulyanovsk plant.

But experts say that the Indian company Mahindra & Mahindra is showing interest in the legendary Soviet and Russian manufacturer. This brand is known for its frame SUVs around the world.

Unlike UAZ, the Indians are doing great, at one time they even bought out Volvo, having managed to save the Swedish company from bankruptcy.
Investors can organize the assembly of their brutal SUV Mahindra Thar, aka Roxor, at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant without any special investments. In fact, this is a licensed copy of the Jeep CJ-5.

If someone is not in the know, the SUV is a direct descendant of the military Willys MB. This car costs almost half as much as the Wrangler and is produced not only in India, but also in the USA.



Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has been suing Mahindra & Mahindra since 2018 over the design of their Roxor model. Perhaps this is what will push the manufacturer to enter into partnerships with the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant.

If the production of the Indian copy of the Jeep CJ-5 starts in Russia, then another legendary SUV will appear in the country. The car is equipped with a diesel engine with a displacement of 2,5 liters, if everything works out with the partnership, then it will most likely be left as a flagship model.