Following several leaks yesterday, Chevrolet has published the first official images of the Niva concept that will be shown to the public for the first time at today’s Moscow Motor Show.
Designed by the GM-AvtoVAZ joint-venture, the Niva show car is billed as a close-to-production concept that previews the second-generation of Chevrolet’s entry-level off-roader. The second-gen Niva looks considerably more modern than its predecessor thanks in part to a front end that falls in line with Chevrolet’s global design language. Features like a snorkel, a winch, tow hooks and Mud-Terrain tires give the concept a rugged, go-anywhere look.
Sources close to Lada indicate the second-generation Niva previewed by the concept will be introduced early next year. When launched, it will ditch the current model’s anemic 81-horsepower 1.7-liter engine in favor of a Peugeot-sourced 1.8-liter mill rated at a more usable 135 horsepower. Power will continue to be transferred to all four wheels via a manual transmission.
Niva production is scheduled to kick off in Togliatti, Russia, next December, meaning the SUV will arrive in Russian showrooms shortly after. Chevrolet is not planning on selling the Niva in the United States, and the off-roader won’t be sold in Europe because the brand will leave the Old Continent at the end of 2015 but we may expect to see the Niva in the GCC.