"Sobol" is a family of compact commercial vehicles made by the Gorky Automobile Plant, produced since 1998 on GAZelle" running gear. Vans, combi versions, and passenger versions with smaller capacity than the base family.[1]
Place in the lineup
The "Sobol" occupied a niche between a passenger car and the one-and-a-half-ton "Gazelle": shorter, more maneuverable in the city, cheaper to run. The passenger version GAZ-2217 was used as a family and service minivan.[1]
The family went through the same generations as the base model: "Sobol Business", then "Sobol NN" — vans and combi versions on a modern platform.[1][2] In 2023, at the Comtrans exhibition, an all-wheel-drive modification of the "Sobol NN" 4x4 with an engageable front axle was presented — a van, a combi (passenger-and-cargo) version, and a minivan; series production began in December 2023.[2]
Sources
- detali15.ru — Detali15 — Overview of the GAZ vehicle lineup: purpose and differences between models (archive)
- zr.ru — Za Rulyom — New GAZ Sobol NN 4x4: engines, suspension, sales launch (archive)