AvtoVAZ plans to launch automatic transmission versions of the Lada Granta by September.
Company executives said sales may even start around the time of the Moscow Motor Show towards the end of August. The company plans to sell 10,000 Grantas and about 70,000 restyled Lada Kalinas, both with automatic transmission.
Investment in the transmission, including engineering and assembly preparation stands at about US$17m.