Third attempt: sales of a new domestically assembled microcar have begun in Russia.

It's strange: in the last three years, after the departure of global manufacturers, any project, even the slightest, in the automotive industry has received unprecedented PR and advertising support. GAZ, for example, only announced last year that it intended to produce new Volgas, when all the media, social media, and bloggers trumpeted the "revival of the legendary brand." The calendar is now set for the end of 2025, and there's no sign of a Volga in any form.

AvtoVAZ even makes PR shows out of every little thing. Even replacing the headlights on an ancient Niva becomes a global event.

The premiere of three Eonyx models from Kaliningrad-based Avtotor is proceeding in complete silence. We learned about the new cars' availability by chance, after reading a reader's comment under an article in Autoreview. We decided to check where and for how much Eonyx cars were being sold, but the all-knowing Avto.ru didn't return a single related ad.

We had to go to the manufacturer's website and find the addresses of four dealers across Russia selling the tiny Eonyx. One of them was in Moscow, and it specializes not in cars at all, but in selling a wide variety of motor vehicles—motorcycles, dirt bikes, mopeds, ammunition, ATVs, snowmobiles—and even a fully restored airborne combat vehicle was on display. In short, we barely found the Eonyx, which was lost between an 18 million ruble Toyota Land Cruiser motorhome and a hovercraft.

To fit into the back seat, you have to be thin and short. Photo: Viktor Levin. newizv.ru

A white vehicle with a black roof stared at us with some surprise, its round headlights averted. A preliminary look at the car left us with no clue as to why it was called Eonyx (pronounced eonyx) or what the word meant. Neither a Russian-English dictionary nor the all-knowing "Alice" offered a translation.

Oh well. Coming up with car names has never been a gimmick for Russian marketers. At least they didn't call the new models "Mishka," as they tried to do with the reincarnation of the Oka in 1997, or "Oda," as they called the Izhevsk-assembled Moskvich in 1990.

But confusion about the meaning and purpose of the car is embedded in technical standards.

According to the Russian system, this is neither a car nor an electric vehicle, but rather an electric quadricycle (hard to pronounce) in the L7 category, not the M1 category (passenger vehicles). According to the "Technical Regulations on the Safety of Wheeled Vehicles," L-class vehicles are motorcycle-type vehicles. Specifically, L7 is a four-wheeled vehicle whose unladen weight does not exceed 400 kg (550 kg for cargo versions), excluding the weight of batteries, and whose maximum useful engine power must not exceed 15 kW.

Basically, take it as you will, but a category B driver's license and a state registration plate are required to operate this vehicle. However, the license plate is only mounted on the rear—like a motorcycle!

The electric quadricycle has all the attributes of a real car. Photo: Avtotor Press Service

But in all other respects, it's a car! Its curb weight, at 2.8 meters long, is over a ton. Its top speed is up to 80 km/h. Its payload capacity is 300 kilograms. The front suspension is like that of "grown-up" cars, with a MacPherson strut, while the rear is a semi-independent wishbone suspension with a Panhard rod. And ground clearance is quite respectable—170 mm.

The most surprising thing is that the Eonics doesn't feel like a home-made product, either inside or out. The plastic is almost soft, without any phenolic aftertaste, the dashboard design is reminiscent of a British Mini, the digital instrument cluster, the Android tablet, the air conditioning, the heater... It's a shame there's no test drive available. But renowned auto journalist Igor Morzharetto got a chance to drive the Eonics earlier this year:

Driving is enjoyable, but there are plenty of problems, too. The main one is the short range between charges, which according to the specifications is 130 kilometers, but in reality, even in freezing weather, it will be a third less. The sellers say that even 100 kilometers for typical city commutes from home to work, shopping centers, school, and elsewhere is enough to make a round trip without ending up with a dead battery on the side of the road.

Incidentally, the Aeonis don't have fast charging. They run on electricity from a standard outlet for eight hours.

The car's reliability and durability? This question hasn't been studied because there's no extensive operating experience. But we're confident that the Chinese batteries and electric motor will perform just as well as those in other Chinese electric cars. As for the chassis, it's simple and inexpensive, and maintenance doesn't require any fluids, filters, or oil changes. The only thing that needs refilling is the windshield washer fluid, which is housed in the front of the car.

A significant issue is the passive safety of a road-legal vehicle. Clearly, a steel tube frame with fiberglass body parts attached is far from the best way to protect the driver and passengers from collisions with other vehicles, which can weigh several times more than the little Eonis itself. It has no airbags. So, each buyer must decide for themselves: are they willing to risk life and limb like a motorcyclist? The question is truly a serious one.

Against this backdrop, the issue of cramped interior space fades into the background. It's a problem, especially for tall and overweight people. After all, getting into the back seat through the narrow gap between the front seat and the pillar is no easy task!

Finally, there's the price of the car. In China, a similar model costs around five thousand dollars. In Russia, even a domestically assembled model is priced at twice that price, or 850,000 rubles. Time will tell whether Russian buyers are willing to pay that kind of price. However, the same shopping center sells ATVs for two to three times as much, and they find their buyers.

The poor reputation of previous attempts to sell small cars works against microcars. In the entire history of our auto industry, only the famous motorized carriage from the film about Shurik's adventures, the hunchbacked Zaporozhets, and the ridiculous Oka have been successfully produced. All these cars, due to their more than poor quality, have become objects of ridicule for their owners.

Surviving in the Oka was practically impossible: 1.5 out of 16 possible. Photo: AutoREVIEW.ru

Incidentally, exactly 10 years ago, Indians tried to enter the Russian market with their ultra-cheap minicars powered by motorcycle engines. But they failed.

According to official information, Kaliningrad's Avtotor has big plans for electric vehicle production. In addition to the Eonyx M2 passenger hatchback, the plant will also produce the Eonyx Cargo (van) and Eonyx Profi (open-top) commercial vehicles.

The Eonyx Profi commercial electric vehicle will also be produced in Kaliningrad. Photo: Avtotor Press Service

The Kaliningrad-based company has ambitious plans to further localize production. These include developing the production of electric motors, a full range of electrical equipment, and body components. Battery packs will be supplied by Renera's new plant, which is being built in the Kaliningrad region and is scheduled to begin operations in late 2025.