Russia’s Atom electric car to begin official sales in April

Sales of Russia’s electric car Atom are set to start soon, with promises of prices lower than those offered by Chinese competitors.

The Russian-made EV has been under development and testing for quite a while, and the first preorders were accepted some three years ago.

Atom sales to begin in April, maker Kama says

Official sales of the Russian electric vehicle (EV) Atom will formally begin in April, according to a representative of the company that builds it. Speaking to reporters and quoted by TASS, the Commercial Director of Kama, Alexander Kostylev, announced:

“We plan to open the sales season, officially in April.”

Purchases for individual buyers will be exclusively completed online, and the ordered cars will be delivered to their homes, the executive added. Test drives and service maintenance will be provided by the manufacturer’s partners in major cities across the vast country. The network will be expanded over time, Kostylev pointed out.

The first deliveries will be made to customers who placed preorders in the distant 2023, Kostylev emphasized. Car sharing platforms, taxi companies, and regional authorities will also be supplied to conduct pilot tests.

Russia’s attempt at “a Tesla,” but cheaper than Chinese models

The locally produced Atom will be selling cheaper than Chinese offerings in Russia, unveiled the brand’s Director of Government Relations, Anatoly Kiyashko. Speaking to local media, he elaborated:

“We will announce the price to the public in February. For now, we can say that our car is cheaper than Chinese counterparts, but in its price range, it is certainly one of the mass-market luxury cars.”

According to Atom’s website, the Russian EV can be pre-ordered for 3.9 million rubles, or a little over $51,000 at current exchange rates. However, when the government-provided discount is applied, the price should drop to 3 million rubles (less than $40,000), as previously reported.

Atom completes 800 km autonomous test drive

The development of the Russian EV commenced in 2021, the news agency noted in its report, with the establishment of the company behind it in August of that year.

Atom’s first functional prototype was presented in Moscow in May of 2023, almost three years before the launch of its sales planned for this spring. On Friday, Kiyashko also revealed that the electric car had made a test run between the capital city and Kazan, mostly in autonomous mode:

“We had a test drive from Moscow to Kazan, and Atom completed 95% of the journey autonomously, meaning with the help of its driving assistants.”

The main city of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan is the hometown of the Kama startup, where Atom is being developed and assembled. The upcoming market launch of the Russian EV was first announced by Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov earlier this month.

Atom’s commercial premiere and successful trial followed in mid-January, when Russian President Vladimir Putin urged faster development of autonomous transportation.

Russia is lagging behind leaders in this niche, the head of state admitted, despite stating he was impressed by some of the driverless prototypes demonstrated ahead of a meeting on the matter.

The Russian Federation should rapidly transition from testing to large-scale introduction of autonomous systems, the master of the Kremlin insisted in his address to participants in the discussion. Russia has until now made fewer than 100 self-driving trucks but intends to bump output to almost 1,000 units by the end of 2028, as reported by Cryptopolitan.

Putin made it clear he is convinced his nation will find its place in the global market for this type of vehicle, once it scales up production and exports.

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