Izh 2125

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Izh 2125/21251 Kombi
Overview
Manufacturer IZh
Also called Moskvitch Kombi
Production 1973—1997
Body and chassis
Class Compact car
Body style 5-door hatchback
3-door pick-up/panel van
Related Izh 408
Moskvitch 2140
Powertrain
Engine UZAM 412
Chronology
Predecessor Izh 412
Successor Izh 2126
Wikimedia Commons has media related to IZH Kombi.

Izh 2125 "Kombi" (Russian: Комби, short for "combination") is a small family car produced by the Soviet automotive maker IZh from 1973 to 1997. It was based on an Izhevsk-modified Moskvitch 412, with the first prototype released in 1972 to meet small family needs. Although considered by many to be the first Soviet hatchback (released about a decade before the well-known Lada Samara), the car actually possessed a station wagon body. The back did not profit from weight reduction, which would position the model rather in the liftback family. For the same reason, the car was given the "Kombi" nickname, which in a way alludes to the Combi coupé.

The Kombi knew a notable success in sales within USSR between 1974 and 1980 due in large part to lack of competition - station wagon variants of the Lada, Moscow-built Moskvitch and Volga were reserved for institutional use leaving the Izh as the only two-box vehicle offered to the general public, however, due to absence of upmarket components export models were never produced and the car did not sell outside the country. In 1982, when Izh 412 was discontinued, the Kombi received a redesigned Moskvitch 2140 body and was then rebranded as 21251. Among notable features, the car borrowed a dashboard from the 2140, featured improved seats and headrests were now installed. Besides the initial hatchback body, the new Kombi also took over Izh 2715 panel van variant that also got facelifted in the same year.

Both versions sold into the 1990s. As the Soviet Union collapsed, IZH was first privatized as "OAO Izhevsk" and slowly started converting their automotive production lines to other kinds of produce, such as firearms. In 1995—96, when AZLK's revenue decreased drastically, the company was partially reacquired by AutoVAZ and renamed "IzhAuto". Vaz then discontinued all of IZH's previous models and run their own ones into production. A new hatchback version, based on Lada instead, was branded Izh 2126 and ultimately replaced the Kombi.

Gallery

  • Pre-1982 Izh 2125, showing a metallic grille similar to the 412

  • Post-1982 (21251) grille, where the outline has been removed completely and the metal elements painted black

  • A rare grille variant briefly used on the Kombi

  • The rear was identical in looks on all models

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