The former chief designer of the Lenin Komsomol automobile plant, Igor Zaitsev, worked at the enterprise from 1974 to 1987, when the Moskvich-2140 and Moskvich-2141 models were produced. In a recent interview with Gazeta.Ru, he commented on the design of Moskvich 3, saying that it looks modern, but the model has design flaws and there is no continuity with previously produced models.

As for appearance, an old joke comes to mind: if I were Chaliapin, I would sing differently. In general, the car looks good, but there is work to be done. This car has a traditional “Chinese”. If you look from the side, you will see two oblique stampings on the doors. One of them, from my point of view, is superfluous, it should be removed. There is another solution to this shortcoming – the top line must somehow be connected to the bottom, in other words, visually be closed. You can still slightly change the shape of the bumper.

Igor Zaitsev

He suggested that the plant is unlikely to be engaged in the modernization of this model, because it is a matter of big money and free time. After all, it is not enough just to draw a picture, you need to change stamps, adjust equipment, use other technologies.

The current car “Moskvich” has nothing in common with the models of past years. There is no continuity, no connection with those machines that were produced before. Moreover, earlier in the model range there was no crossover.

Igor Zaitsev

Earlier, the Moskvich plant published details about the interior of the new Moskvich 3 crossover, presented last week.

Toyota has announced the release of a new SUV Grand Highlander, which will compete with large cars of the same class.

While the current Highlander boasts impressive hybrid fuel economy, it can’t compete in third-row space with the Kia Telluride, Volkswagen Atlas and Chevy Traverse.

Toyota describes the Grand Highlander as “the ultimate travel car”, citing increased legroom and luggage space. The first teaser of the new three-row SUV gives us an idea of ​​what the rear will look like.

The Hybrid Max badge indicates that the Grand Highlander Platinum will get the same powerful powertrain as the Crown’s top-of-the-line sedan. and 542 Nm of torque. Toyota hasn’t provided any information about the Grand Highlander’s available powertrains, but it’s likely that the standard 265bhp turbo-four from the base Highlander will be carried over to the new model.

It is not known when the new Grand Highlander will hit the roads, but it is known that Toyota plans to fully introduce the SUV at the Chicago Auto Show on February 8th.

Tesla made the first deliveries of its Semi truck to customers on Thursday evening, five years after the unveiling. The online presentation showed trucks adorned with the liveries of Pepsi and Frito-Lay, a snack food subsidiary of PepsiCo.

Tesla Semi was shown as a prototype in 2017. Then Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that production would begin in 2019. At the same time, during today’s presentation, Musk did not say how many trucks were delivered by PepsiCo and how many cars were produced in total.

The all-electric truck features an unusual design in which the driver sits in the center of the cab rather than on the side. Tesla boasts about the truck’s power, saying it accelerates much faster, even when fully loaded, than traditional diesel-powered trucks. During the presentation, a video was shown showing how a fully loaded Tesla Semi accelerates up a steep hill and overtakes other trucks.

Because the Tesla Semi doesn’t have a multi-speed transmission like diesel trucks, it’s also much easier to drive. According to Musk, the truck can travel 800 km on a single charge. It has three electric motors, one of which drives the truck most of the time, while the other two are used primarily for acceleration and hard traction. According to the Tesla leader, the truck can pull up to 37 tons.

The trucks were announced to support megawatt ultra-fast chargers, however it was not announced how long it would take to recharge the truck. These chargers will also be available for use by Cybertruck drivers when the Tesla pickup goes on sale, Musk said.

Interestingly, the Tesla Autopilot system, touted in the first presentation five years ago as a great benefit for long-haul truck drivers, was not mentioned during the new presentation.