Lada shows off first new model in 10 years and it looks okay
For Kiwi Lada fans, expect to see none of them here any time soon because of sanctions related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Azimut is the first Lada SUV since the second-generation Niva launched in 1998. It is only the third production SUV in the company's history.
Despite its contemporary appearance, beneath the sheetmetal is the running gear of the Lada Vesta small car. And that was Lada's last new release, debuting 10 years ago.
The Azimut is 4416mm long and rides on a 2675mm wheelbase so it is similar in size to a Corolla Cross. It takes after the 2018 Lada Vision concept, featuring the same high bonnet and lateral belt lines.
Lada Vision Concept
But it looks modern with its slim LED lighting signatures. A black roof with a silver D-pillar matches the silver trim on the sills and bumpers.
It will be available with two naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engines, outputting 89 and 98kW from 1.6 and 1.8-litre displacements, respectively.
Transmission options are a six-speed manual or CVT. A 1.5T engine from an outside unspecified source (likely to be Chinese) will join the range later.
Azimut will be front-wheel drive only, with no plans for an all-wheel drive version.
The interior includes a six-speaker stereo, keyless entry, and a reversing camera. Safety items include ABS brakes, stability control, and two airbags.
Other safety or convenience items are reserved for higher level models or are cost options.
Production is set for next year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
Air New Zealand inks direct partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, pair create virtual customers
As well as being OpenAI CFO, Friar is a long-time member of the board of Walmart. Before returning home to run Air New Zealand, Foran was in charge of the giant retailer's US operation. There have been several meetings between senior Air New Zealand and Open AI senior leaders over the past year 'and they saw that Air New Zealand could well be the petri dish for innovation in the critical infrastructure and aviation game', Ravishankar said. The airline's use of OpenAI's generative artificial intelligence (AI) has run from the mainstream – summarising complicated documents – to creating the aforementioned virtual focus group. OpenAI's Sarah Friar overlapped with Air NZ CEO Greg Foran at Walmart. Photo / Getty Images 'Our customer service teams have created customer personas by feeding them all the feedback and complaints we've got – to test service improvements before we introduce them to a focus group,' Ravishankar said. Ideas could be 'pre-tested' on and honed on the virtual personas, which were based on hundreds of thousands of pieces of customer comments, helping to fine-tune ideas from a much broader pool of perspectives, before putting them before a human focus group. 'AI allows you to do complex, integrated planning much more seamlessly,' Ravishankar said. 'We're starting to look at how we use AI to optimise our loyalty tier benefits, for example, and how we can optimise turnaround to improve on-time performance management.' What about customer-facing AI? Air New Zealand was an early adopter of Soul Machines' avatar technology, before the Kiwi firm flamed out, but switched from the homegrown solution to its inhouse-developed chatbot 'Oscar'. Is Oscar about to get an an AI makeover? 'As are a lot of organisations, we're doing a ton of work on whether generative AI is ready for prime time; ready to directly interface with customers to provide an, if you will, chatbot on steroids. We're doing a lot of testing, but we're just not fully satisfied it's there yet,' Ravishankar said. 'But it's maturing at a rate of knots. I'm a technologist by trade, and I've never seen anything move as quickly.' Behind the scenes, staff are using AI to help deliver more personalised service to customers, he said. All up, the airline is using 1500 CustomGPTs to introduce efficiencies to internal workflows. CustomGPTs are set to specific tasks and can be ring-fenced to access a company's own data – addressing the dangers of an AI hallucinating or breaching privacy or commercial confidentiality. How do you market to an AI concierge? OpenAI recently released a ChatGPT 'agent' that can carry out autonomous tasks, such as booking travel (or 'looking' at a photo of a meal you like on Instagram, then ordering the ingredients for you from an online supermarket). The initial release was restricted to those on US$200 ($330) per month pro plans, but it's being rolled out this month to those on cheaper Plus plans too. So far, many early testers have found the ChatGPT agent slow and clumsy, in part because human approval is needed at various steps – including credit card purchases – so you can't walk away from your device. 'Uncharted territory' But while the ChatGPT agent might be a while off for OpenAI's free tier, pundits see 'agentic AI' as the next big thing – and it's already starting to figure in the airline's thinking. 'We're starting to wonder what the role of a brand is when ... a customer's own concierge [AI] agent is deciding which product to put in front of the customer,' Ravishankar said. 'That's uncharted territory ... if anyone tells us they know exactly how that's going to play out, they're making it up. 'But we're paying close attention to it, and then we're seeing multiple models emerge. 'It could be we provide an Air New Zealand concierge, or our concierge interacts with a customer's own concierge. Or we just make our environment open to customers' own agents, being able to interact with us. 'It's too soon to say what pattern emerges. If I was a betting man, I'd say we'll probably see multiple models.' Direct collaboration As part of the collaboration, Air New Zealand will gain early access to OpenAI technologies to develop and apply use cases, and equip its people across corporate roles with secure, enterprise-grade AI tools, Ravishankar said. 'By working directly with OpenAI, we not only access leading-edge technology but we also shape how it's used in the real world.' 'Air New Zealand is taking meaningful steps to bring AI across key parts of its business using OpenAI's technology. We have been particularly impressed with how quickly they have built over 1500 CustomGPTs to introduce efficiencies to internal workflows,' OpenAI international managing director Oliver Jay said. 'Their focus on innovation and responsibility shows how the aviation sector can adopt advanced tools in practical ways that deliver value for both employees and customers.' POSTSCRIPT: Captain's chair? Foran resigned as CEO in May. He will depart the airline in October. The Australian recently reported that Ravishankar has the inside running to replace him. The Herald asked Ravishankar if he wanted to take the opportunity to rule himself in or out. 'That is definitely above my pay grade, and you probably want to speak to the board about that,' he replied. There was no immediate response from the board. Boards typically don't comment on potential candidates prior to an executive appointment. Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald's business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- The Spinoff
A first timer's guide to buying an EV
With volatile fuel prices and worsening climate change, now could be the time to switch to an EV. But where to begin? Buying a car is a famously head-scratching experience, never mind buying an electric vehicle. There's so much to consider – upfront cost, fuel economy, safety rating, lifestyle needs and so on. With second-hand vehicles, that list gets even longer. Purchasing a vehicle requires not just money, but time to suss out the options and make the right decision. While zero emissions is a big EV drawcard, there are many other perks convincing people to make the switch. If you're interested in buying an EV though, where should you start? Kathryn Trounson is a longtime EV enthusiast and chairperson of Better NZ Trust, which aims to educate and promote EV uptake. She shared her top EV buying tips with The Spinoff. Understanding the running costs Running a regular car comes with familiar costs, petrol prices being one of the most important. Understanding how much an EV will cost you day-to-day though isn't immediately clear. Understanding charging options is key here. Most EV users can rely on the charger their car comes with, Trounson says. These plug into a normal household socket so there's no need for expensive installs or rewiring. Many people charge their EVs overnight this way. If you need a faster charge, wall chargers are available at varying prices. So how much will your power bill increase by? While electricity rates vary by region and time of day, Trounson says most people don't notice a huge increase. Any power bill increase is likely to be much less than accrued petrol saving, and there are special electricity plans on offer for EV owners. Genesis has an electricity plan to support future thinking Kiwi who invest in EVs. It offers discounted electricity rates, and a first-of-its-kind charging partnership with ChargeNet which allows customers to take their home charging rates on the road at any ChargeNet station. Genesis's Energy EV plan * gives customers 50% off their variable day electricity rate from 9pm to 7am, perfect for charging overnight. While the initial cost of an EV might be higher than a petrol car, Trounson says, the lifetime savings of an EV are worth it for many. If you really want to crunch the numbers, this calculator can help. Consider upfront cost Like any other vehicle, Trounson says, you need to consider lifestyle and upfront cost when choosing which car to buy. Petrol cars come in all shapes and sizes for a variety of needs, and ditto with EVs – there are even fully electric utes. Generally speaking though, a bigger battery means a bigger range but a bigger price tag. Luckily, Trounson says, EVs have gotten more affordable in the past few years, even before you take fuel and maintenance savings into account. More competition in the market and improvements in battery technology have pushed prices down. Brand new, fully electric models can now be found at comparable prices to new petrol cars. Don't skip second hand The second-hand EV market is growing, but buying one still requires the same caution you'd use when buying a used petrol car. A key thing to look at here is the car's remaining battery life, often reported as a state of health (SoH) percentage. This number, Trounson says, is often more important than mileage or number of previous owners. While EV batteries do degrade, the rate is slower than you might expect. Most degrade about 1.8 percent per year, and should retain 64 percent of their range after 20 years, although battery health can be affected by factors such as storage conditions and driving style. Trounson recommends sticking to reputable, knowledgeable dealers for used EVs. Helpfully, she notes, cars less than eight years old often have a transferable battery warranty. Be realistic about range How do you choose the right EV for your lifestyle? Lots of people get stuck on range, Trounson says, the distance you can drive on a full charge. Many people find the concept of 'range' to be unfamiliar and offputting. 'An EV tells you in kilometres how far you can go, and you see that number change. When you turn the air conditioning on, or if you were driving into rain, that would reduce the range. But that would reduce the range in an internal combustion car too – it's just that you don't see it. Like anything, it just takes getting used to.' As with petrol cars, terrain, weather conditions and driving style can all affect the range of an EV. But EVs can actually recover some range thanks to features like regenerative charging, where some charge is recovered as the car goes downhill. The right model and associated driving range therefore depends on someone's individual needs, says Trounson, though you might find you need less range than you think. According to the Ministry of Transport, most people drive less than 30 kilometres a day. That figure is based on data from 2014, so our national average may have changed since then. Still, Trounson says that most EVs can handle the short, frequent daily trips that characterise most urban driving patterns. The cheapest available EV, an older, second-hand Nissan Leaf, might only have 50km of range – but that might perfectly suit a student, older person or someone who works from home. Don't forget weekends away Once you've got your head around costs, range and charging you might start to think further afield. Will switching to an EV make road trips trickier? Trounson points out that even lower range EVs can be taken on a weekend trip. Just a few years ago, she says, the New Zealand charging network was still 'in its infancy'. But that's changed drastically. A quick look on the Electric Vehicle Database (EVDB) shows EV charging is now widely available in Aotearoa, even in remote and wild places. It's not just the availability of charging stations that's improved, it's also the charging technology. Old public chargers were slow, which meant long stopovers. Now, most charging stations have fast-charging available getting you close to a full charge in 15 to 30 minutes. And how much does charging on the go cost? This varies but Genesis's EVerywhere plan * lets you take your home rates with you on the road at ChargeNet public charging stations. When to make the switch? Companies are investing heavily into the EV market and prices are likely to continue falling as batteries become better and cheaper. But that doesn't necessarily mean you should buy a new petrol vehicle in the meantime. 'The right time to buy an EV is when your current car is no longer suitable for your needs,' says Trounson. 'If you can afford to, you should buy an EV now. If you can't afford an EV, never buy a brand-new internal combustion engine car, because petrol will go up. 'Nobody who has an EV says they wish they hadn't bought it. Everyone says I wish I'd bought it earlier.'
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
Agribusiness and Trade: India's tech boom offers opportunities for New Zealand businesses
As New Zealand companies like Serko have discovered, India is where you go when looking for global capability hubs. While it sells professional services like law and accounting, India remains best known for its information technology services. Its tech giants like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Tech Mahindra may not be household names, but are familiar in executive suites and boardrooms. India's tech firms are active in New Zealand. In April, Spark signed a strategic deal with Infosys to accelerate the transformation of its technology delivery model using artificial intelligence and cloud tools. This year Air New Zealand and Tata Consultancy Services signed a five-year partnership deal to explore opportunities for digital transformation, innovation and operational efficiency in the airline industry. Tech Mahindra is working with the University of Auckland on AI and quantum computing projects. This last deal underlines a key point. Twenty years ago India was best known for its sweatshop call centres and low-cost IT outsourcing. Today it is a global hub for advanced technology, innovation and skilled digital talent. In 2020, India accounted for approximately 55% of the global IT service sourcing market — valued at between US$200 billion and $250b. It made up around 20% of total global IT spending. That was up from around 13% of the total in 2015. India also accounts for a large slice of the world's IT experts. In 2021, India ranked third worldwide for cloud expertise, with 608,000 professionals. In addition to exports, India sustains a huge domestic technology sector. In 2023 the industry had an estimated worth of US$245b and employed 5.4 million people. The market is growing at just over 10% a year. Speaking at the India New Zealand Business Council's Boardroom to Border leadership dialogue in May, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon identified technology as one of the key focus areas of his mission to India in March. Said Luxon: 'We worked really hard in Mumbai and Delhi to ensure that New Zealand's primary products, our technology, our education, exports and our tourism offerings, were front and centre. 'Kiwi and Indian businesses are the engines of growth creating those new opportunities, lifting trade and helping transform the relationship between our countries.' Selling New Zealand technology faces challenges. Sakthi Ranganathan, founder of Christchurch-based JIX Reality Lab told attendees at the Boardroom to Border event that it's hard to attract the world's best researchers to work in New Zealand. 'From an Indian perspective, New Zealand is not seen as a destination for cutting-edge research. It's not the place to be for the future of aerospace or food and agriculture. The cream, the high-achieving individuals will always prefer a different country to New Zealand.' Another aspect of India's rise as a technology powerhouse lies in its consumption of technology. With a population of 1.4b and a rapidly-growing middle class, it represents a huge market for products such as mobile phones and laptops. These are also essential tools for lifting Indians out of poverty. India's telecom industry is the second largest by mobile phone, smartphone and internet users after China. Figures from the GSM Association and Boston Consulting Group show there are 1.165b wireless subscribers and a total of 1.2b telephone subscribers. Which explains why Apple is showing so much interest in India. The US phone and computer maker is putting down roots there. It now manufactures iPhones in new factories outside Chennai. Today between 15% and 18% of all iPhones are produced in India. Five years ago, 100% were made in China. That country now accounts for 75%. The Times of India forecasts the nation will account for 25% to 30% of iPhones by 2027. American geopolitical tension with China and President Donald Trump's mercurial trade policies go some way to explaining the move, but the lure of a billion consumers moving out of poverty is significant. And the potential spotted by Apple also represents an export opportunity for New Zealand's tech sector. Madras-born, Auckland-based angel investor and education consultant Edwin Paul chaired a panel at Boardroom to Border exploring moves to build a shared digital future between New Zealand and India. He neatly summarises the potential. 'Both countries bring unique strengths to the table. India brings scale and a digital public infrastructure. New Zealand brings trust-based governance, regulatory agility and a people-first innovation approach. Together, we are well placed to shape a digital agenda that is not only competitive but ethical, inclusive and resilient.' Paul's agenda includes building 'future-ready frameworks in artificial intelligence, cyber security, digital services and the startup ecosystem, moving beyond pilot projects and policy papers'. He wants to see mechanisms put in place to make cross-border innovation work.' Investment is crucial to India's rise and the technology sector is set to receive the bulk of funds. Most Indian investors say they plan to allocate more than three-quarters of their funds to digital investments in the next five to seven years. Bharat Chawla, the chairman of the India New Zealand Business Council put investment into a local perspective when reporting back on the INZBC's Grow with India report. He talked about the diplomatic investment the two countries have made and work across public and private sectors. He sees the need for two-way investment between the two countries. Two New Zealand companies that have made major investments in India are Carmen Vicelich's Valocity and Serko, a publicly traded travel and expense technology company.
