Russian automotive designer, creator of the legendary VAZ-2121 "Niva" Peter Mikhailovich Prusov, according to the official website of AvtoVAZ. The farewell ceremony will take place on March 21 from 11.00 at the Transfiguration Cathedral in Togliatti. The funeral will take place at the Togliatti city cemetery.

Peter Prusov. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Evgeny Khalilov

“Petr Mikhailovich was a great man, the creator of the world's first off-road vehicle with a monocoque body - the legendary VAZ-2121 Niva, which today bears the name LADA 4 × 4 and remains extremely popular in Russia and abroad. It is doubly sad that he left in the year of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of his car, literally a few days before the memorable date - April 5th. The entire team of AvtoVAZ deeply mourns this loss. The plant covers the costs associated with the funeral ceremony ", - said the President of PJSC Avtovaz Nicolas More.

14 years ago, Petr Prusov retired, and this year he was again invited to return to his native plant as an advisor and to organize celebrations on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Niva car.

AiF.ru cites the biography of Peter Prusov.

Dossier

Petr Mikhailovich Prusov was born in the village of Zubki, Liozno district, Vitebsk region on January 6, 1942.

In 1958-1962 he studied at the Gorodok technical school of agricultural mechanization (Liozno district, Vitebsk region). At the same time he entered the Gorygoretsk Agricultural Academy in 1961, which he had to leave after the 1st year.

For a short time he worked as a mechanization engineer at the Kalinin collective farm of the Kolyshansky village council of the Liozno region. In the fall of 1962, he was drafted into the army, and in 1963 he ended up as part of a limited contingent of Soviet specialists in Algeria - to clear the Algerian-Moroccan and Algerian-Tunisian borders. Here Prusov was seriously wounded.

In 1965-1970 he studied at the V.Ya. Chubar with a degree in Automobiles and Tractors. From 1967 he worked part-time at the Kommunar plant.

After graduating from the Zaporozhye Machine-Building Institute in 1970, he came to the Volzhsky Automobile Plant in Togliatti, where he began his career as a design engineer, and already in 1972 was appointed the lead designer of the VAZ-2121 "Niva" project.

1975 - 1978 - Head of the design bureau for advanced design of cars of the department of the chief designer of the Volzhsky Automobile Plant.

1978 - 1983 - Head of the General Layout Department of the Chief Designer of the Volzhsky Automobile Plant.

1983 - 1988 - Deputy Head of the Chief Designer Department - Deputy Chief Designer of the Volzhsky Automobile Plant.

1988 - 1998 - Head of the Automobile Design Department of the Design and Experimental Complex of the Scientific and Technical Center - Deputy Chief Designer of AvtoVAZ;

1998 - 2003 - Chief Designer of AvtoVAZ JSC of the General Development Department.

1998 - Chairman of the Council of Chief Designers of Automotive Plants in Russia.

2000 - technical manager of the project for the production of VAZ-2110 vehicles from vehicle kits of JSC Avtovaz in Cherkassy (Ukraine);

2002 - technical manager of the project for the production of off-road vehicles "Niva" VAZ-21213 in Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan);

Pyotr Prusov took part in the development of many other models of AvtoVAZ, and from 1998 to 2003 he was the chief designer of the enterprise. As deputy chief designer for design, and then chief designer, he took part in the design of the VAZ-1111 "Oka", the family of cars VAZ-2110 and Samara 2, VAZ-2123, the family of Kalina cars, as well as a number of concept models. During production, the plant produced more than 2.5 million off-road vehicles VAZ-2121 "Niva" and LADA 4 × 4, more than half a million of which were exported.

In March 2003, due to his retirement, he was relieved of the post of chief designer, but continued to work actively at the enterprise.

In 2007-2014, he was a leading design engineer of the homologation department of the design and maintenance department of the car of PJSC AvtoVAZ.

In 2007-2011 - Head of the working group on projects for the production of LADA cars in the Chechen Republic. Since February 2017, Petr Prusov has worked as an advisor to the vice president for personnel and social policy of PJSC AvtoVAZ.

Family status

In an interview with the media, Prusov said that the legendary Niva car was named after his children - Natalia and Irina, and children of the first chief designer of VAZ Vladimir Solovyov: Vadim and Andrey.

Awards and titles

1959 - medal "For the development of virgin lands"

1975 - the sign "Winner of the socialist competition in 1975"

1976 - Order of the Badge of Honor

1977 - entered in the Book of Honor of the Volga Automobile Plant;

1977 - a silver medal of the All-Union Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the USSR for the development of the layout of the main structural scheme, technical specifications and technical design of the all-wheel drive vehicle VAZ-2121

1978 - the sign "Winner of the Socialist Competition of 1978"

1979 - the sign "Winner of the Socialist Competition 1979"

1980 - badge "Drummer of the Tenth Five-Year Plan"

1984 - the gold medal of the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements for the development of the design, the creation of the material and technical base and the fine-tuning of the VAZ-2108 car model

1984 - the honorary title "Honored Mechanical Engineer of the Russian Federation"

1986 - Medal "For Labor Valor"

1988 - a silver medal at the Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the USSR for the development of the concept of the VAZ-21099 car

1989 - Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Automotive and Agricultural Engineering of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Workers' Trade Union

1991 - silver medal of the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements

1995 - Letter of thanks from the city administration of Togliatti

1995 - the honorary title "Honored Designer of the Russian Federation"

2007 - the gold medal of Peter the Great "For Labor Valor";

2008 - American Biographical Institute Honorary Award for Excellence in the Automotive Industry. Installation of a personalized Star on the Flint Walk of Fame (2010);

2010 - officially registered regalia (cross) of the Hubners Who is Who of the eponymous International Swiss Encyclopedic Publishing House. Biography of P.M. Prusov published in the 5th edition of the encyclopedia in Who is Who in Russia.

2012 - Medal "For Services to the Chechen Republic".

2,288 Read

January 6, 2012 marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of Pyotr Mikhailovich Prusov, the former chief designer of AVTOVAZ, the creator of the legendary Niva car. "Niva" entered the top three best cars in the world in 1979.

Since then, the car market has changed dramatically, but so far Niva has not only not left the world stage, but is in steady demand in the domestic and foreign markets.

The design of the "Niva" was truly revolutionary: never before in the world was a jeep built on the nodes of a passenger car. Such a scheme as that of Niva was proposed for the first time. This was the first independent and most successful project of VAZ. Its design was ahead of world developments in this direction: Japan caught up with the USSR in this segment only by 1990; The Niva was the only Soviet car purchased by Japan for sale on its own domestic market; fan-clubs of Niva fans still exist in Japan and are active.

"Niva" was successfully sold in more than 100 countries of the world, it was assembled from disassembled car sets in 6 countries: Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Panama, Greece, Canada. In New Zealand in the 1980s, 40% of all off-road vehicle registrations fell on the Niva, while in Austria it occupied 90% of the off-road segment of the local market for several years. In France, the "Niva" for a long time was generally a cult car.

The Niva's dossier includes world-class humanitarian actions: for over 15 years this car worked as the main vehicle at the Bellingshausen Soviet Antarctic Polar Station; dozens of victories in international rallies, including Paris-Dakar; in 1998, "Niva" conquered the North Pole of the Earth and under its own power reached the site on the Everest mountain range (Republic of Nepal) at an altitude of 5200 m; in 1999, "Niva" with a group of climbers climbed to Tibet to a height of 5726 m, which no one else in the world had ever climbed on wheeled vehicles.

In 2002, the joint venture GM-AVTOVAZ began production of the Chevrolet-Niva car, the VAZ-2123 project, created in the process of deep and radical modernization of the Niva design. For the first time in world history, a foreign automobile concern that entered an emerging market took a local car for production, buying a license for it: this has never happened in world practice.

April 5, 2012 marks the 35th anniversary of the start of the serial assembly of Niva, the total volume of sales of which to consumers in all markets has long exceeded 2 million units.

As deputy. chief designer (1983-1998) and chief designer of AVTOVAZ (1998-2003) P.M. Prusov was able to implement other outstanding projects that have left their mark on the history of the domestic and world automotive industry. No wonder in his honor (the only Soviet and Russian auto designer) on the Technical Fame Walk in Flint (USA) in 2010 a personalized Star was installed.

As a technical leader, P.M. Prusov created the production of LADA cars at car assembly plants in Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Since 2007, at the choice of the side of cooperation, Pyotr Mikhailovich has been the head of the working group on projects for the production of LADA cars and auto components in the Chechen Republic.

P.M. Prusov was the initiator and the first chairman of the Council of Chief Designers of Automotive Plants in Russia and the Russian Association of Automotive Engineers, which confirms the unprecedented height of his authority as a designer and production organizer in the community of Russian engineers.

Petr Prusov began his career at AVTOVAZ in 1970. The crown of his career was the position of the chief designer of the automobile plant - from 1998 to 2003.

In all serial models of AVTOVAZ, both discontinued and produced to this day, you can find a piece of "Prusian" participation. The four-wheel drive car, the leading designer of which was Pyotr Mikhailovich, revolutionized the global automotive industry, opening the most popular class of crossovers - comfortable all-terrain vehicles. "Niva", or as it is called today, LADA 4x4, operated on all 6 continents of the Earth and became the only Russian car that was officially supplied to Japan.

Petr Prusov also took a direct part in the development of a family of classic-layout cars, a front-wheel drive LADA Samara family, cars of an especially small class "Oka", LADA 110, LADA Kalina families. The all-terrain vehicle VAZ-2123, which later became Chevrolet NIVA, was also created with the participation of Peter Prusov. And today at AVTOVAZ started the development of a third-generation SUV - and the experience of Pyotr Prusov has already been applied in this work.

Petr Prusov also took part in the creation of small-scale equipment and conceptual projects. He developed the layout of a floating special-purpose vehicle VAZ-2122, initiated the production of long-base all-terrain vehicles, pickups and minivans based on LADA 4x4. With the participation of Peter Prusov, a number of conceptual models were created (Rapan, Rickshaw, Roadster, Oka-2, project 2151).

Colleagues of Petr Mikhailovich note his outstanding organizational talent, ability to find an original solution in difficult situations. It is no coincidence that the plant's management entrusted him with the most difficult tasks, the experience of solving which was not yet available. For example, Peter Prusov organized in the 70-80s the strongest team in the USSR for the international certification of automotive products. This made it possible to export Lada cars in significant volumes all over the world ...

P.M. Prusov was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor, the Medal for Labor Valor and the Gold Medal of Peter the Great, medals of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements. His name is entered in the AVTOVAZ Book of Honor. Doctor of Science, "Honored Designer of the Russian Federation". Recognition of the merits of Peter Prusov among the technical and scientific community was his election as president of the "Association of Automotive Engineers of Russia" in 2003-2008 and vice-president of the AAI in the remaining years of the existence of this organization.

In 1999, "Niva" with a group of climbers overcame the ascent to Tibet to a height of 5726 m, which no one in the world had ever climbed on wheeled vehicles. A documentary about this Niva expedition to Tibet.

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The sales ceremony for the first LADA 4x4 Urban was attended by the "godfather" of the VAZ-2121 "Niva" Pyotr Mikhailovich Prusov. We bring to your attention a short interview, which the chief designer of "Niva" gave to the chief editor of the Official LADA Club, Yuri Efimov.

Petr Mikhailovich, we have a LADA 4x4 Urban car behind us. The opinion is controversial around this car, due to the fact that it has plastic bumpers. SUV enthusiasts say this is bad for an off-road vehicle. City driving enthusiasts, on the other hand, say what they like. Express your opinion as a person who devoted many years to this LADA 4x4 car, when it was still called "Niva". Your opinion? What can you say about this car?

If this car were offered instead of "Niva", I would, first of all, leave everything else, except for the bumpers. The bumper would not "jerk". But this is a modification. This is an addition, of course. And therefore, I think this is the case. You will remember: when there was a general decline in the market (we are talking about the post-perestroika years - ed.), We then "gave birth" to a bunch of modifications based on the Niva - pickups, vans, and 5-door versions and 3-doors. Today the time has come and the market must again offer various options. Therefore, as an option LADA 4x4 Urban may well exist.

I just talked with Mr. Moskalyuk, who until recently led the LADA 4x4 project. He told that in the future (about six months) a car could be presented that will occupy the niche of the extreme version of LADA 4x4. Do you know about this? Did you hear something?

I know I've heard about it. But I want to say that the extreme Niva is a narrow niche, since Niva has enough prospects without it. This offer (while Pyotr Mikhailovich points to LADA 4x4 Urban, standing behind him), in my opinion, in terms of the number of sales on the market, there will be more than the extreme option. But I will repeat again that I advocate that now, until a new car comes out, there would be as many options as possible.

As a person who was directly related to the birth of this car, that is, to the prototype, at least to the base car, tell me: looking back many years, what would you change in it?

On a big scale, I would change one thing: I would not make the transfer cases separately. Because, even when I was working on this issue, I was persuaded to take this option, because (everyone has probably already forgotten) the original car production program was 25 thousand. Then she became 50 thousand, even later 75 thousand. But initially the program was designed to produce 25 thousand cars, and this left its mark on my decision. Today, if this project were started from the very beginning, I would not fundamentally change anything in Niva. But I wouldn't do out-of-the-box transfer cases.

When you and your team were engaged in the construction of the Niva, did you assume that this car would live for so long?

Honestly, no. For two reasons, no. First, they don't live that long. Secondly, I will remind you that the Chevy-Niva is the Niva, which was supposed to replace the existing car. But it so happened that the name was sold to a joint venture with General Motors. I can tell you that according to the law, when the contract was signed, this "Niva" (the current LADA 4x4 - editor's note) was supposed to end in 2005. It was then that we raised public opinion, raised the Association of Automotive Engineers. There was a magazine there called "4x4". The name remained, but the magazine, of course, is completely different. They raised the Union of Producers, which was headed by Ryzhkov. We turned to the anti-monopoly committee, and he recognized these points as worthless. Therefore, she is still alive. But again I repeat, the car, unfortunately, is not cognac. With age, it does not get better and therefore it is already necessary to change it.

Soviet and Russian engineer, automobile designer, chief designer of AvtoVAZ (1998-2003), Doctor of Technical Sciences.

Born on January 6, 1942 in the village of Zubki, Liozno District, Vitebsk Region, Byelorussian SSR; was the fifth and last child in the family. Father - Mikhail Vladimirovich Prusov, a collective farm foreman, a participant in the hostilities of three wars, a holder of the Order of the Red Star. Mother - Olga Emelyanovna Prusova (née Lakisova), a collective farm worker, was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and two bronze medals at the Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the USSR.

Education

In 1958-1962 he studied at the Gorodok technical school of agricultural mechanization (Liozno district, Vitebsk region). At the same time he entered the Gorygoretsk Agricultural Academy in 1961, which he had to leave after the 1st year.

For a short time he worked as a mechanization engineer at the Kalinin collective farm of the Kolyshansky village council of the Liozno region. In the fall of 1962, he was drafted into the army, and in 1963 he ended up with a limited contingent of Soviet specialists in Algeria - to clear the Algerian-Moroccan and Algerian-Tunisian borders. Here Prusov was seriously wounded.

In 1965-1970 he studied at the V. Ya. Chubar Zaporozhye Machine-Building Institute with a degree in Automobiles and Tractors. From 1967 he worked part-time at the Kommunar plant.

AvtoVAZ

After graduating from the institute with honors, he chose the Volzhsky Automobile Plant for distribution; 1970-1975 - design engineer of the chassis design department of the chief designer of the plant.

In April 1972, Prusov was appointed the lead designer of the VAZ-2121 project.

In 1975-1978, P.M. Prusov was the head of the design bureau for advanced design of automobiles of the department of the chief designer of the Volga Automobile Plant. In 1977 he defended his thesis for the degree of candidate of technical sciences on the topic "Features of the transmission of four-wheel drive vehicles."

In 1978-1983 he was the head of the general layout department of the chief designer of the Volga Automobile Plant; 1983-1988 - Deputy Head of the Chief Designer Department - Deputy Chief Designer of the Volga Automobile Plant.

In 1986 he defended his thesis for the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences on the topic "Type of passenger cars of the USSR".

In 1988-1998, he was the head of the car design department of the design and experimental complex of the scientific and technical center - the deputy chief designer of the AvtoVAZ Production Association.

1998-2003 - Chief Designer of the General Development Department of AvtoVAZ.

In 2003 he retired.

Since 2007 - Leading Design Engineer of the Homologation Department of the Design and Vehicle Maintenance Department of the Engineering Directorate of AvtoVAZ.

Awards and titles

• He was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor (1976), medals "For the development of virgin lands" (1959), "For Labor Valor" (1986) and "For Services to the Chechen Republic" (2012), as well as gold (1984) and silver medals of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the USSR (1977, 1988, 1991).
• "Honored Mechanical Engineer of the Russian Federation" (1984), "Honored Designer of the Russian Federation" (1995).
• Honorary Citizen of Togliatti (2012).
• Honorary Citizen of the Samara Region (2016).

(1998-2003), Doctor of Technical Sciences.

Biography

AvtoVAZ

After graduating from the institute with honors, he chose the Volzhsky Automobile Plant for distribution; 1970-1975 - design engineer of the chassis design department of the chief designer of the plant.

In April 1972, Prusov was appointed the lead designer of the VAZ-2121 project.

In 1975-1978, P.M. Prusov was the head of the design bureau for advanced design of automobiles of the department of the chief designer of the Volga Automobile Plant. In 1977 he defended his thesis for the degree of candidate of technical sciences on the topic "Features of the transmission of four-wheel drive vehicles."

In 1978-1983 he was the head of the general layout department of the chief designer of the Volga Automobile Plant; 1983-1988 - Deputy Head of the Chief Designer Department - Deputy Chief Designer of the Volga Automobile Plant.

1998-2003 - Chief Designer of the General Development Department of AvtoVAZ.

In 2003 he retired.

Since 2007 - Leading Design Engineer of the Homologation Department of the Design and Vehicle Maintenance Department of the Engineering Directorate of AvtoVAZ.