Apal, a small coachbuilder firm based in Tolyatti,
Russia, has launched sales of a new SUV it calls the Stalker APAL-21541. The
car is based on the Lada 4x4 (“Niva”) chassis and tech, but sports a composite
body. Apparently, the project to build a plastic-bodied Niva began in early
2000s, but the company soon put it on hold and only resurrected it a few months
ago.
The tuner reports that using polymer body panels
resulted in a significant weight reduction compared to the standard Niva, but
provides no numbers to support that claim. An interesting new feature comes in
the shape of detachable/collapsible rear body for extra convenience getting in
and out of the vehicle.
The SUV is 3,550 mm long, 1,646 mm wide and 1,751 mm tall, making it negligibly shorter and taller
than the Lada 4x4. Powering the car is the standard 1.7-liter four-cylinder Niva engine
rated at 83 hp. The four-wheel drive is also stock.
The company intends to limit the production quantity
to 150 units priced at 1,233,000 Russian Rubles (US$ 19,500). This is quite a premium to ask for, since the regular Lada 4x4 retails
for only 520,000 RUB (US$ 8,250).
