NAMI (automotive Institute)

The Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute, abbreviated as NAMI (russian: link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Language, Государственный научный центр Российской Федерации Федеральное государственное унитарное предприятие "Центра́льный нау́чно-иссле́довательский автомоби́льный и автомото́рный институ́т "НАМИ" (ГНЦ РФ ФГУП "НАМИ") is the leading scientific organization in Russian Federation in the field of automotive industry development.
The institute was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

History

The research and development automobile and engine institute was established on 14 March 1920 based on the Scientific Automobile Laboratory (russian: link=no, Научной автомобильной лаборатории (НАЛ)) of Scientific and Technical department of VSNKh. This laboratory was established on 16 October 1918. From 1924, the institute permitted purchases of foreign automobiles and automobile accessories. The first original automobile, the NAMI 1, had been developed in 1927 (the first car of the USSR).

During the 1930s the institute became the leading development department of the Soviet automotive industry. Following that year they developed and produced the first Soviet trolleybuses, and created several tractor models and several lorry models. For the Red Army half-tracks and armored vehicles had also been actively developed.

From 1931 to 1946 the institute bore the name Automobile and Tractor Research Institution (russian: link=no, Научный автотракторный институт (НАТИ)).

At the beginning of 1946, because the tractor industry was transferred to be under the supervision of the Ministry of Agricultural Machinery, NATI was split in two. The automobile branch was kept under supervision of Ministry of Automobile Industry and was reorganized into Scientific and Research automobile and engine institute (NAMI) (russian: link=no, Научно-исследовательский автомобильный и автомоторный институт (НАМИ)). The tractor division was transferred under the supervision of the Ministry of Agricultural Machinery. This division served as a basis for the Union Tractor Research Institution (NATI) (russian: link=no, Научно-исследовательский тракторный институт (НАТИ)).

Multiple experimental and prototype engines were developed at the institute, many of which served as the basis for the mass production ones.
In the 1960s the Institute developed some front-wheel drive and automatic transmissions which weren't put into production until much later, as these were deemed too expensive and complex for the current state of the industry, citing the example of a GAZ-21 automatic transmission, for which the service infrastructure was virtually non-existent.

Post-Soviet era

In 2014 the NAMI purchased the Yo-Mobile project for 1 Euro.

In May 2018, NAMI unveiled for the first time in public the first generation of the " Kortezh" presidential state car for the fourth presidential inauguration of Vladimir Putin. It replaces the German-made cars that the government has been depending on for its VIPs since the end of ZIL production.

In May 2022, NAMI acquired Renault's controlling stake (about 68%) in the Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ.

Testing facility

In the 1960s the testing facility of NAMI (russian: link=no, Научный испытательный центр автомобильной и мотоциклетной техники, НИЦИАМТ) was opened, which is near Dmitrov, Moscow Oblast.

Prototypes

The only period of NAMI vehicle production was the 1920s and 1930s. Since then the NAMI vehicles are exclusively prototypes and concept cars.

* 1920 – BK – aerosan
* 1921 – Tri-Ka – aerosan
* 1927-1931 – NAMI-1, the first Soviet passenger car
* 1928 – NAMI-1 – snowmobile
* 1929 – Ford-A-NAMI - (also known as Ford Model K)
* 1930 – NATI "Kar-a-Pet"
* 1931 – NAMI-IX, aerosledge
* 1932 – NATI-2 – half-track based on the GAZ-AA
* 1932 – Ford-NATI-5 (also known as NATI-5) – half-track based on Ford-A
* 1932 – Ford-NATI-30 (also known as GAZ-NATI-30) – prototype for GAZ-AAA
* 1933 – NATI-3 – half-track based on the GAZ-AA
* 1933 — NATI LK-1
* 1934 – GAZ-A-NATI (also known as GAZ-A Kegress) – half-track based on GAZ-A
* 1934 – NATI LK-2
* 1934 – NATI-V – based on the GAZ-AA
* 1935 – NATI-YaG-10
* 1936 – NATI-V-3 (later NATI-VG) – half-track based on the GAZ-AA
* 1936 – NATI-VZ – half-track based on the ZIS-5
* 1937 – K-1 (also known as NATI-K1) – based on the ZIS-6; led to the ZIS-36
* 1937 – NATI-VM – half-track based on the GAZ-M1
* 1937 – NATI-V3 – based on the GAZ-AA
* 1938 – K-2 (also known as NATI-K2) – two-axle version of K-1; cancelled in favor of the ZIS-32
* 1938 – NATI-A, bus
* 1939 – NATI-23A – based on the ZIS-5
* 1940 – NATI-LB – based on the GAZ-62, became the LB-62
* 1941 – NATI-K2 – based on the ZIS-5, led to the ZIS-32
* 1941 – AR-NATI - the prototype for GAZ-64
* 1947 – NAMI-010 – amphibious vehicle based on the GAZ-63
* 1948 – Pobeda-NAMI – prototype improved version of GAZ-M20
* 1948 – NAMI-LAZ-750/NAMI-LAZ-751
* 1948 – NAMI-011 – based on the GAZ-67B, led to the GAZ-46
* 1949 – NAMI-012 – steam truck based on the YaAZ-200
* 1950 – NAMI-013 "Chita"
* 1951 – NAMI-015/016 – based on the ZIS-151
* 1951 – NAMI-018 – all-wheel-drive logging truck version of NAMI-012
* 1955 – IMZ-NAMI-A50 "Belka" (''Squirrel'') – cancelled in favor of the ZAZ-965
* 1956 – NAMI-020 – entered production as the Ural-375
* 1956 – NAMI-021 – transport version of NAMI-020; prototype for Ural-375T
* 1957 – NAMI-032G – prototype for LuAZ-967 and LuAZ-969
* 1957-1958 – NAMI-031
* 1958 – NAMI-044 – first Soviet wheeled tractor, became the KhTZ T-150K
* 1958 – NAMI-048/048A
* 1958 – NAMI-049 "Ogonyok" (''Spark'') – prototype for LuAZ-967
* 1958 – NAMI-055/055B – based on the Moskvitch 410
* 1958 – NAMI-058
* 1958 – NAMI-059
* 1959 – NAMI-041
* 1959 – NAMI-053 "Turbo" – based on the ZIL-127
* 1960 – NAMI-060 – cancelled in favor of the ZAZ-965
* 1960 – NAMI-074
* 1960 – NAMI S-3 – based on the Moskvitch 415
* 1961 – NAMI-032M – entered production as the LuAZ-967
* 1961 – NAMI-032S
* 1961 – NAMI-049A "Tselina"
* 1961 – NAMI-055V
* 1961 – NAMI-080
* 1961 – NAMI-0102
* 1961 – NAMI-787, trailer
* 1962 – SMZ–NAMI-086 "Sputnik"
* 1963 – NAMI-032B – prototype for ZAZ-969
* 1963 – NAMI-076 "Ermak"
* 1963 – NAMI-094 (ET-8) – based on the 1956 FWD Terracruzer

* 1964 – NAMI-058T
* 1964 – NAMI-092
* 1965 – NAMI S-4 – based on UAZ-451
* 1965 – NAMI S-3M
* 1965 – NAMI-067 (M10), hovercraft
* 1965 – NAMI-072
* 1965 – NAMI-0100
* 1965 – NAMI-0103
* 1965 – NAMI-0105
* 1965 – NAMI-0106
* 1965 – NAMI-0112
* 1966 – NAMI-032SK, hovercraft
* 1966 – NAMI-058S-862
* 1966 – NAMI-0107 "Vasilyok" (''Cornflower'')
* 1966 – NAMI-0127
* 1966 – NAMI-0143-SKhZ
* 1967 – NAMI-0107B
* 1968 – NAMI-072C
* 1968 – NAMI-0114
* 1968 – NAMI-0132
* 1968 – NAMI-0137 – based on the ZAZ-966
* 1968 – NAMI-0169
* 1968 – NAMI-MeMZ-0127
* 1969 – NAMI-0162 – transferred to IzhAuto and continued as the Izh-5 (Izh-4x4)
* 1970 – NAMI-0145
* 1971 – NAMI-0129
* 1971 – NAMI-0173 – front-drive version of GAZ-24 Volga
* 1971 – NAMI-0157BK
* 1973 – NAMI-0159 – based on the LAZ-696
* 1976 – NAMI-0196
* 1977 – NAMI-0157M – prototype for Ural-5920
* 1977 – NAMI-UAZ-469B
* 1981 – NAMI-0231 – prototype for VAZ-1111
* 1984 – NAMI-0188
* 1984 – NAMI-0266
* 1985 – NAMI-0267
* 1985 – NAMI-3305
* 1987 – NAMI-0284 "Debyut" (''Debut''); first concept car developed during perestroika
* 1987 – NAMI-0286 "Tayfun" (''Typhoon'')
* 1988 – NAMI-0342 "Kuzya"
* 1988–1989 – NAMI-LuAZ-Proto
* 1988–1991 – NAMI-0290 "Apel'sin" (''Orange'') – based on ZAZ-1102
* 1989 – NAMI-0281
* 1989 – NAMI-0295 "Rus'"
* 1990 – NAMI-0284 "Debyut-2"
* 1990 – NAMI-0288 "Kompakt"
* 1990 – NAMI-Kompakt-2
* 1991 – NAMI-0300 "Apel'sin-2"
* 1992 – NAMI "Oda" Concept
* 1992 – Ekstremist
* 1992–2000 – NAMI-1819 "Umka"
* 1994 – NAMI-2160 "Kentavr"
* 1994 – NAMI "Retro"
* 1995 – NAMI-GAZ "Volga-Prestige"
* 1997–1999 – NAMI "Grenader"
* 1998 – NAMI-UAZ-469 "Huntsman"
* 1999 – NAMI "Tachanka"
* 2006 – NAMI-1337
* 2006 – NAMI-2339
* 2006 – NAMI-GAZ "Valdai"
* 2011 – NAMI-3333
* 2016 – NAMI "Shatl" (''Shuttle'')

References

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Research institutes in Russia
Research institutes in the Soviet Union
Motor vehicle manufacturers of Russia
Motor vehicle manufacturers of the Soviet Union
Federal State Unitary Enterprises of Russia
Companies based in Moscow
Russian brands
Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers
Contract vehicle manufacturers
Aurus Motors