ZAZ Tavria (ZAZ-1102) History

The ZAZ-1102 Tavria was developed in the early 1980s as a ground-up replacement for the ageing Zaporozhets. It broke entirely from that car's layout: front-wheel drive, water-cooled inline-four engine (1.1 or 1.3 litre), MacPherson-strut front suspension, and a three-door hatchback body. The car entered production in 1987 and acquired the 'Tavria' name officially in 1989.

After Ukrainian independence the Tavria was modernised as the 'Tavria Nova' from 1998, a joint project with Daewoo that addressed the original car's fit-and-finish shortcomings with Korean-sourced components. A five-door notchback sedan variant and a small panel van also entered the range. Series production of the standard Tavria concluded in 2007, with small additional batches assembled in 2008–2009; more than 140,000 units were built across the full run.