Images reveal the definitive design of the new jeep, which survived the end of the alliance with the European brand and already has a date to hit the market
The new Lada Niva had its industrial designs registered with the Russian Federal Institute of Industrial Property (FIPS), revealing the final lines of the SUV scheduled to debut on the international market in 2028. The documents, originally filed at the end of 2025 and recently released, detail the evolution of the T-134 project, which had been initiated during the old partnership between parent company Avtovaz and French group Renault.
The alliance between the manufacturers was interrupted as a result of Renault’s exit from the Russian market, motivated by the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. Despite the end of technical cooperation, the Russian state-owned company chose to continue the development of the jeep with its own resources. Although the schedule has been delayed and engineering revisions for the replacement of Western components, patent images indicate that the utility has preserved the basic proportions of the concept presented in 2021.
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Visually, the new generation of the Niva bears aesthetic similarities with products from Romanian Dacia, a former subsidiary of Renault. The front section features a darkened grille integrated into the signature circular LED headlights, while the turn indicator lights remain positioned at the top, flush with the hood – an element that directly refers to the identity of the classic jeep launched in the 1970s.
The set gained prominent bumpers for off-road use, wheel arches with matte plastic frames and rear door handles built into the C-pillar. In the mechanical part, under the hood, the Russian press projects the adoption of 1.6 and 1.8 aspirated engines, sets already consolidated in other vehicles of the brand. Official information about the performance figures, transmission options and the arrangement of the all-wheel drive system has not yet been released by Avtovaz.
When it hits the market in 2028, the new generation of the Lada Niva will coexist in dealerships with the classic model, renamed Niva Legend and produced uninterruptedly since 1977, and with the Niva Travel, with more urban lines. Before that, the Russian manufacturer is preparing for the second half of the year the launch of the unprecedented Lada Azimut, a utility vehicle focused on urban use.
