Today, the Russian automotive market, which has become completely insignificant on the international stage, is being sustained by the Chinese. Thus, shortly after the start of the war, Russia revived several brands from the Soviet era, including Moskvich.
Now, Russia has announced the return of another famous Soviet name—Volga. Recall that Volga was the name of a model produced by the GAZ brand from 1956 to 2010. However, Volga is now no longer just a model name but an independent brand established in partnership with China's Geely.
To start, the new Volga brand has introduced two models: a sedan named the C50 and an SUV called the K50. Both vehicles are essentially rebadged Geely models with Volga branding, based on the Geely Preface (sedan) and Geely Monjaro (SUV). Apart from slightly redesigned front ends, the new Volga models are visually and technically almost identical to those sold under the Geely brand.
Under the hood, the Volga C50 features a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, available in versions with 150 and 200 horsepower. Both engines come paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. As for the Volga K50, it also has a 2.0-liter gasoline engine but with 238 horsepower, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. This Russian-Chinese SUV also comes with all-wheel drive.
No further details have been revealed, but it is known that both Volga models are produced at a factory in Nizhny Novgorod, a facility that was recently owned by Volkswagen.