GAZ
Gorky Automobile Zavod
Type: Subsidiary
Industry: Automotive, Defense industry
Founded: 1932; (named Gorky 1932–1990)
Headquarters: Nizhny Novgorod, NIZ, Russia
Parent: GAZ Group
Website: https://gazglobal.com/azgaz/
GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky (Горький) (1932–1990). It is the core subsidiary of GAZ Group Holding, which is itself part of Basic Element industrial group. JSC Russian Machines is the controlling shareholder in OAO GAZ.
In May 1929 the Soviet Union signed an agreement with the American Ford Motor Company. Production started on 1 January 1932, and the factory and the first marque was titled Nizhegorodsky Avtomobilny Zavod, or NAZ, but also displayed the "Ford" sign. Its first vehicle was the medium-priced Ford Model A, sold as the NAZ-A, and a light truck, the Ford Model AA (NAZ-AA).
In November 2000 GAZ was acquired in a hostile takeover by SibAl. In March 2003 GAZ declared that the production of passenger cars was no longer a priority for the company, and plans to release a new GAZ-3115 model had been abandoned.
In 2011, Bo Andersson received Automotive Executive of the Year Award at the International Automotive Forum organized by the Adam Smith Institute, and was named a Eurostar of automotive industry in the emerging market category by the Automotive News Europe Magazine for achievements in model range renewal, establishment of cooperation between GAZ Group and leading international automakers, and positive financial results of the company in 2010.
