Back Газель (аўтамабіль) BE GAZelle Czech GAZel Danish GAZelle German GAZelle Greek GAZelle (furgoneta) Spanish GAZelle French גא"זאל HE GAZ Gazelle Italian ガゼル (自動車) Japanese
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| GAZelle | |
|---|---|
 GAZelle with the restyled front end introduced in 2003 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | GAZ (Gorky Automobile Plant) |
| Production | 1994–present |
| Assembly |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Light commercial vehicle (M) |
| Body style | 2-door dropside truck 2/4-door pickup truck 4-door panel van 4-door minibus |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | GAZ-31029 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | RAF-2203 |
| Successor | Gazelle NEXT |
The GAZelle (Russian: ГАЗе́ль) is a series of light commercial vehicle—pickup trucks, vans and minibuses—made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. At the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union and transition to a market economy, the Russian automobile industry had not produced a much-demanded LCV similar to the Ford Transit or VW T4 class. Although based on a large and heavy dedicated van chassis, the GAZelle initially shared many mechanical parts, such as the grille and headlights with the GAZ-31029; Riga Autobus Factory, which formerly manufactured minibuses for the whole USSR, remained in Latvia, and now required its vehicles be sold to the now-foreign Russian market for hard currency. Responding to this market opportunity, GAZ swiftly developed its own LCV called GAZelle (the name is a pun on "gazelle"), which, taken together with its lighter version, Sobol, now account for the majority of the Russian van and light truck market[1] and have strong positions in the markets of other CIS countries, ranking as GAZ's most popular and successful products.[2]
The GAZelle's design is superficially reminiscent of the 1986 Ford Transit,[3][4] but the two cars have nothing in common.[5][6][7] It has remained very successful on the Russian market despite minimal upgrades.
- ^ "Поехали на рынок: продажи коммерческого транспорта в России растут | Бизнес". Forbes.ru. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
- ^ "Russia launches production of GAZelle Next commercial vehicle in Turkey". TASS (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-04-24.
- ^ Gibbs, Nick (15 October 2012). "Russia revival: Contract assembly, cargo vans fuel GAZ rebirth". Automotive News Europe. Archived from the original on 2021-02-03.
- ^ Klimov, Alexander (2019-07-22). "GAZelle celebrated 25th anniversary!". Tretiy Rim. Archived from the original on 2023-08-25.
- ^ S. Iunes: Иномарка, «похожая» на «Газель». Сравнение «Форд-Транзит» и «Газель». In: Грузовик Пресс, 06/2005 (russian)
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