New Russian SUV "Stalker": description, specifications, manufacturer

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Domestic SUV "Stalker" was first presented at an automobile exhibition in Togliatti (2003). The model is a compact jeep with three doors. The car has a frame-type panel body, based on composite materials and steel pipes. The prototype aroused genuine interest among the public, largely due to its interesting design and small dimensions (the length was only 3400 millimeters). According to the assurances of the designers, this modification was supposed to have not only a charismatic appearance, but also a very reasonable price. However, the release of new items into mass production was accompanied by a number of problems.

Design

The SUV "Stalker" decided to turn into reality the engineer P. F. Popov. The idea to implement a frame-and-panel structure arose back in the 90s. At that time, the designer was the director of one of the plants in Chelyabinsk. The plant was focused on the military industry in terms of improving light and medium army vehicles.

Technology attracted Popov's attention for two reasons. First, panels made of composite materials do notare subject to icing, which made it possible to operate the machine in regions with critical low temperatures. Secondly, the design provided a reduction in the total weight of the car.

The nineties made their adjustments to the development of the Stalker SUV. The crisis led to the closure of many factories, including the Chelyabinsk enterprise, where the developer of the car in question worked. Popov moved to the Lada-Tul company, where he continued to promote the project to create a novelty together with the head of the company, V. Boblak. Now the model was planned to be reoriented to the civilian market.

History of Creation

Work on the creation of the Russian SUV "Stalker" has intensified in full. Imported equipment was purchased, the best specialists of the automotive industry were involved. At the production facilities of the new enterprise, the virtual idea slowly began to materialize. The car was modified in terms of the body, frame and panel matrices.

Further work has also stalled due to financial problems. The management of the company, after the deterioration of business, was forced to sell it, compensating for existing debts. All developments on the jeep in question were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Apal corporation. Most of the working staff also moved there.

Presentation

The first prototype of the Stalker SUV was ready by this time, so the vehicle was constructed, after which it was presented at a car show in 2003. Carreceived a number of improvements, including the manufacture of exterior panels from multi-layer composite thermoplastic, rather than fiberglass, as previously planned.

The new material is characterized by increased resistance to frost, subject to additional coloring, which reduces the work on the final design of the vehicle. In order for the body part to retain its parameters longer, it was also covered with a layer of acrylic composition.

Further prospects

It is worth noting that the new owner of the Apal-2154 (Stalker) light SUV was in no hurry to put it into mass production. The main purpose of the car is a model for exhibitions and various shows that allow you to evaluate the quality of the thermoplastic. Users became so interested in the novelty that subsequently the company's management revised its position.

The development of the business plan was entrusted to the creator of the project - P. F. Popov. The documentation was drawn up with a focus on the possibility of working with a partner who would contribute financially to the creation of a new car. In fact, Apal was ready to take on the costs of the construction of the car and all the plastic elements, and potential colleagues would take care of the rest of the car and its assembly.

Modernization and testing

The off-road car "Stalker", developed in Tolyatti, during the search for partners to create it, was significantly modernized. The production version provided for a hard-type roof, an all-wheel drive transmission, and a power unit from Niva with a volume of 1.7 liters. The updated version was equipped with a body that was not subject to corrosion and rotting, had less weight and a more aggressive appearance.

At the same time newcomers were tested in various conditions. As a result of the tests, it turned out that a car at low temperatures gets a conflicting moment between the panels and the body frame. It was possible to eliminate this problem by introducing special technological stampings and anti-shrink bolts. After successfully passing all stages of testing, the new Stalker SUV in 2006 received vehicle type approval. During that time, "Apal" found the first partner - the company "SuperAvto". Soon, financial disagreements arose between the enterprises, which could not be resolved. Then the government of the Chechen Republic showed genuine interest in the vehicle. In this regard, a new business plan was even drawn up.

Features

The following are the main parameters of the car in question:

• Length/width/height – 3, 5/1, 64/1, 75 m.
• The power plant is a 1.7-liter engine from Niva 4x4.
• Transmission - 5-speed automatic.
• Features - two doors plus rear flap.
• Capacity - 4 people.
• Options - air conditioning, heated mirrors, panoramic sunroof.

The price of the new Stalker SUV based on the Niva

Grozny was so interested in the new model that the Government of Chechnya receivedan indication of the organization of mass production in the shortest possible period. Initially, the annual volume was planned in the amount of 4 thousand copies. The retail price of these modifications was to vary within 300 thousand rubles. Subsequent negotiations stalled again, and the mass production of new items again became questionable.

In 2010, a little-known entrepreneur from Germany applied to Apal. Markus Neske proposed to organize the production of 17 thousand cars, but at the production facilities of Dacia Duster. As a result, the front panel of the car was changed and the frame was adjusted. The Russian SUV was supposed to be assembled in Germany from domestic spare parts. The estimated price of the vehicle is 15 thousand euros. However, this time the process failed to start.

In closing

There is a version that the SUV made of Russian components at the price of "Duster" was not in demand on the market. There is a more serious assumption, hinting that the German head of the company, Markus Neske, simply deceived the Togliatti manufacturers.

At that time, many people had already gotten used to the idea that the Stalker or its German counterpart would remain in the form of prototypes. Some progress was made in 2016, when Apal decided to once again raise the issue of serial assembly of new items in cooperation with VIS-Auto. This company is one of VAZ's subsidiaries and produces vans based on Lada.

Rumors have found some confirmation, which consists in the approval of a trial release of one and a half hundred cars. The documentation was compiled mainly with a bias towards the Lada 4x4 base. The official manufacturer is the same VIS-Auto. There is no more detailed information about the Stalker, one can only hope that it will finally please domestic consumers with quality, practicality and affordable price.