Photo: Moscow's Polytechnic University
Russia introduces the country's first electric car, and many wish it didn't. The Avtotor Amber can't exactly be described as a beauty pageant winner. People online say it looks like a washing machine from Ukraine.
The Russian Federation has been battling economic restrictions and suspensions to rejuvenate its car industry for almost two years since it attacked Ukraine back in February 2022, as carmakers and suppliers have been pulling out of the state, with Hyundai being the latest.
The local industry is struggling to fill the void left by the Western car manufacturers. Therefore, in a land where emissions restrictions are close to zero, there is one carmaker that is trying to look environmentally conscious. And that is Avtotor, which has been revealed as the country’s first electric car by Moscow’s Polytechnic University, which hilariously calls it a "Tesla killer."
‘Car’ is the standard term for a self-powered four-wheeled vehicle, designed to carry from one to eight people. But we will use it for this contraption as well as the automaker calls it that. Still, we have our doubts about it, but we’ll stick to 'car.'
Thus, Avtotor amber is the first electric… car made in Russia. We told you that calling it a ‘car’ is an overstatement. It sports tiny round headlights in the middle of a lot of an irregularly shaped front end with some creases that seem useless.
There are two ports on the passenger’s side, one on the front and the second one on the rear fender. Why anybody would need two charging ports on the same side, only the Russians know.
The windshield and side front windows are the only greenhouse this car gets. Having no rear windows at all makes it look like a miniature van. It also sports integrated steps in the sills. The car presumably has a battery pack integrated into the floor, which might explain the tall lower section. We can't wait to hear about the capacity of that battery unit and about the range of the car.
The model rides on disproportionally small wheels. The license plate reads "Ispitania" in Cyrillic letters, which is Russian for "Tests." The model we are looking at is just a prototype testing on public roads for the moment. So we can only hope that the production version will look better. 'Better' as in 'different.'
Everything about the Avtotor amber is made in Russia, chassis, motors, battery pack, and electronics included, the carmaker claims. The model is slated for production sometime in 2025 at Avtotor's plant in Kaliningrad. The facility previously produced BMW-, Ford-, and Kia-badged models before sanctions made the Western automakers pull out.
People online have been comparing the Amber with the Fiat Multipla since the moment it broke cover. The Italian Multipla was designated World's Ugliest Car by Top Gear back in the year 2000.
"Now we finally understand why Russian soldiers were stealing washing machines from Ukraine. They needed them to paint them red and put wheels on them," a social media user comments on the photos of the Amber.
"Are they using AAA batteries on this one? Do they have a remote control for it?" someone else asks.
“Ferrari's Corsa Red, looks sporty, fabulous aerodynamics. Looks like a total success story. Goodbye, Tesla!” reads one of the ironic comments on social media, while someone else says it has the shape of an exotic fish. There is no word on the pricing of the Russian"exotic fi..." car.
The local industry is struggling to fill the void left by the Western car manufacturers. Therefore, in a land where emissions restrictions are close to zero, there is one carmaker that is trying to look environmentally conscious. And that is Avtotor, which has been revealed as the country’s first electric car by Moscow’s Polytechnic University, which hilariously calls it a "Tesla killer."
‘Car’ is the standard term for a self-powered four-wheeled vehicle, designed to carry from one to eight people. But we will use it for this contraption as well as the automaker calls it that. Still, we have our doubts about it, but we’ll stick to 'car.'
Thus, Avtotor amber is the first electric… car made in Russia. We told you that calling it a ‘car’ is an overstatement. It sports tiny round headlights in the middle of a lot of an irregularly shaped front end with some creases that seem useless.
There are two ports on the passenger’s side, one on the front and the second one on the rear fender. Why anybody would need two charging ports on the same side, only the Russians know.
The windshield and side front windows are the only greenhouse this car gets. Having no rear windows at all makes it look like a miniature van. It also sports integrated steps in the sills. The car presumably has a battery pack integrated into the floor, which might explain the tall lower section. We can't wait to hear about the capacity of that battery unit and about the range of the car.
The model rides on disproportionally small wheels. The license plate reads "Ispitania" in Cyrillic letters, which is Russian for "Tests." The model we are looking at is just a prototype testing on public roads for the moment. So we can only hope that the production version will look better. 'Better' as in 'different.'
Everything about the Avtotor amber is made in Russia, chassis, motors, battery pack, and electronics included, the carmaker claims. The model is slated for production sometime in 2025 at Avtotor's plant in Kaliningrad. The facility previously produced BMW-, Ford-, and Kia-badged models before sanctions made the Western automakers pull out.
People online have been comparing the Amber with the Fiat Multipla since the moment it broke cover. The Italian Multipla was designated World's Ugliest Car by Top Gear back in the year 2000.
"Now we finally understand why Russian soldiers were stealing washing machines from Ukraine. They needed them to paint them red and put wheels on them," a social media user comments on the photos of the Amber.
"Are they using AAA batteries on this one? Do they have a remote control for it?" someone else asks.
“Ferrari's Corsa Red, looks sporty, fabulous aerodynamics. Looks like a total success story. Goodbye, Tesla!” reads one of the ironic comments on social media, while someone else says it has the shape of an exotic fish. There is no word on the pricing of the Russian
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