Moskvich: The Luxury Car Nobody Wanted

Moskvich was once one of the largest car manufacturers in the Soviet Union. But by the 1990s the factory had fallen into deep crisis. Build quality was terrible, technology was outdated, and the company was rapidly losing both its domestic market and export potential. Instead of focusing on cheap mass market cars, the management made a very strange decision. Moskvich would try to enter the business class and near luxury segment. This is the story of Svyatogor, Yuri Dolgorukiy, Knyaz Vladimir, Ivan Kalita and some of the strangest post Soviet cars ever built. A story about collapsing factories, failed ambitions, Renault engines, Rolls Royce inspired grilles, government funding and the final agony of the Moskvich factory.