NEW SOVIET BABY CAR

Press, Volume C, Issue 29548, 24 June 1961, Page 8

NEW SOVIET BABY CAR

Criticism By Newspaper (N Z.P.A.-Reuter) MOSCOW. Output of the new Soviet baby car. the Zaprorozhets. has fallen behind schedule because of mistakes in planning and the discovery of serious defects in the car’s cooling system, according to Soviet press reports. ■ The first Soviet car to have its engine mounted in the rear, the Zaprorozhets is capable of reaching about 55 miles,an hour. It sells here for 1800 roubles (about £720 sterling at the new official rate of exchange). When the first cars rolled off the assembly lines at a factory in Zaproshye, in the

Ukraine, last November, it I was officially announced that , the 1961 output was fixed at 15.000. But, according to the I newspaper "Economic Gazette," production has now been cut back to 12,500. The reason given was that the main assembly line and paint spraying shop were not yet operating. The newspaper revealed, however, that the car had got off to a bad start when production was "rushed.” and it was soon found that several units were not working perfectly. Within weeks, owners were bedevilled by defects in the cooling system, slowing down production until engineers had fitted additional air ducts to all models. The newspaper was particularly critical of some of the 40-odd factories in different parts of the Soviet Union which had contracted to make components. Several factories, it said, were behind with production. Others were guilty of bad workmanship and sending to the Ukraine shoddily-finish-ed parts.