GAZelle

The GAZelle () is a series of light commercial vehicles: pickup trucks, vans and minibuses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. At the time of the breakup of the Soviet Union and transition to a market economy, the Russian automobile industry had not produced a much-demanded LCV similar to the Ford Transit or VW T4 class. Riga Autobus Factory, which formerly manufactured minibuses for the whole USSR, remained in Latvia, now required its vehicles be sold to the now-foreign Russian market for hard currency. Responding to this market opportunity, GAZ swiftly developed its own LCV called GAZelle (the name is a pun on "gazelle"), that taken together with its lighter version Sobol now account for the majority of the Russian van and light truck market and has strong positions in the markets of other CIS countries, ranking as GAZ's most popular and successful products.
In 1999 GAZ started production of all-terrain 4x4 versions of GAZelle that utilized parts of the heavier-class vehicles. Now it features an optional rear differential lock offered at ~US$500 extra.
By 2005 one million GAZelles had been built. Apart from the CIS countries and Central and Eastern Europe, GAZelles are exported to Asian and African markets, including Morocco and the Philippines.
In 2010–2011 the GAZelle family underwent a serious upgrade. The upgraded model was renamed . The changes affected 20 main vehicle units and systems, including steering, brakes, gearbox, cooling system, transmission and interior.
In 2013 GAZ started serial production of the new generation GAZelle NEXT light commercial vehicle that features freighter, van, minibus and other versions of different sizes.
Variants.
The GAZ Sobol is a lighter duty version of the GAZelle, built on a shorter wheelbase. It was introduced in 1998.
The GAZ Valdai is a heavier duty version of the GAZelle, built on a longer wheelbase. It was introduced in 2003 and discontinued in favor of the GAZon.
The GAZelle cabin is also used for building tracked all-terrain carriers such as GAZ-3409 «Bobr» (Beaver).
Before GAZ introduced its own GAZelle-based minibus, various smaller Russian factories launched rebuilding of freight GAZelles into minibuses ("Pskova-2214", "STG-01") and different custom vehicles. A few Russian and Ukrainian factories still produce custom buses and ambulances based on GAZelles of "Business" and "NEXT" generations.
Trim levels.
Before the 2010 upgrade, customers were not given the opportunity to select options. Currently the Gazelle-Business can be ordered with a rear differential lock, ABS braking system, "de luxe" instrument panel, and the "Package" option that includes fog lights, electroproof mirrors, front electric windows, dashboard "de luxe" (radio control buttons on the steering wheel and audio package) and central locking of the front doors.
Gazelle NEXT generation of LCVs has its own schedule of basic trim levels and options.