Lada Priora SW in the Spotlight

Russian automakers tend to become more important players in the global automotive industry, especially after several local investors got involved in Opel's acquisition by Magna International. As you probably remember, the Canadian - Austrian automaker purchased a 25 percent stake of Opel while Sberbank, its Russian partner, took over a 35 percent equity interest.

However, we're not going to talk about Magna, Opel or other industry news but about the Lada Priora SW, a model which is expected to reach European dealerships in the next few months. The wagon version of the Priora is expected to be sold under different names, obviously varying by market, but most countries will get it as SW.

Nevertheless, only a little is known at this time about the car. According to Autoblog Spanish, the car was especially designed to represent a more spacious alternative to the stock model and you can see it for yourselves in the adjacent photos. The Priora SW is far from being a good looking car, with interior space and load capacity to be the main two advantages in the fight against competitors.

Specifically, the car is 4.33 meters long, with the trunk volume ranging between 444 and 1380 liters, depending on the seat architecture. At this time, there's only a single engine in the whole range, namely a 1.6-liter gasoline configuration generating around 98 horsepower. However, more units are expected to join the series by the official launch, with diesel options also a likely scenario.

The SW version is the third body style available in the Priora range, with the sedan and the 5-door hatchback produced since March, 2007. Additionally, the Russian manufacturer might produce coupe and convertible flavors of the car, but only in small volumes, depending on the market demand.