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GAZon NEXT Pickup: The 2015 Show Truck Built on a Medium Lorry
The GAZon NEXT pickup was a one-off show truck presented at the Import Substitution 2015 exhibition. It was not developed by GAZ itself but by Louidor, a long-standing GAZ partner for special bodies, which fitted a pickup bed and new plastic trim to a short GAZon NEXT medium-truck chassis. Under the bonnet sat the standard 4.4-litre YaMZ-534 diesel with about 110 kW (149 hp).
Key takeaways
- Show vehicle of 2015, based on the GAZon NEXT, which GAZ had put into series production on 19 September 2014.
- Body conversion by Louidor: a plastic-clad cargo bed, chrome wheels, new bumpers and grille.
- Mechanically standard: YaMZ-534 4.43-litre diesel, five-speed manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive.
- Louidor offered it only to individual order; no series production followed.
What was shown in 2015
According to the old 1cars report, the pickup appeared at the Import Substitution 2015 exhibition as an unusual concept: a medium-truck cab and chassis turned into a giant pickup. Louidor, which had designed many special versions of GAZ vehicles for series production, took a GAZon NEXT and attached a load bed made largely of plastic. It changed the look with chrome wheel rims, plastic body kit, different bumpers and a new radiator grille.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base vehicle | GAZon NEXT medium truck, single cab |
| Converter | Louidor |
| Shown | Import Substitution 2015 exhibition |
| Engine | YaMZ-534 diesel, 4.43 l, about 110 kW (149 hp) |
| Gearbox | 5-speed manual |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive |
| Body | Pickup bed with plastic panels |
| Production | Individual orders only (show vehicle) |
The base truck: GAZon NEXT
The GAZon NEXT is GAZ's light-to-medium two-axle truck and the successor of the long-running GAZ-3307. Series production began on 19 September 2014, and the truck was the third new GAZ model launched that year. Its YaMZ diesel gave 110 kW (149 hp), 10 kW more than the older engine. Western suppliers provided many parts: ZF steering and clutch, Wabco brakes, Tenneco dampers, Delphi climate control and Takata belts.
| GAZon NEXT data | Value |
|---|---|
| Series production | From 19 September 2014 |
| Gross vehicle weight | 8.7 t (19,180 lb) |
| Wheelbase | 3,770 mm (148 in) or 4,515 mm (177.8 in) |
| Length | 6,450 mm (254 in) |
| Width | 2,750 mm (108 in) |
| Engine | 4.43 l YaMZ diesel, about 110 kW (150 hp) |
| Variants | Over 300, including crew cab, city version and refrigerated bodies |
| Four-wheel-drive sister | Sadko NEXT |
GAZ quoted more than 300 variants: short and long wheelbases, single and crew cabs, a lower "city" version, refrigerated and tarpaulin bodies, municipal vehicles, snow ploughs and refuse trucks. The four-wheel-drive version is the Sadko NEXT, which replaced the GAZ-3308; its predecessor is covered on the GAZ-Sadko page. A basic GAZon NEXT cost about 20,000 EUR at the end of 2015, according to period figures.
Context and verdict: why a medium-truck pickup
Pickups built on truck chassis are rare outside North America, where heavy-duty "chassis cab" pickups are common. The Louidor truck showed how far a commercial chassis could be styled for private or promotional use. It kept the full hardware of a medium truck, so it would have been far heavier and thirstier than a normal pickup; the 1cars comparison tool shows the gap. The car-derived light commercial in the same family is the GAZ-Sobol, while pickups are in the pickups section and heavy trucks in the most powerful trucks ranking.
What happened next
The pickup remained a show vehicle. Louidor said it would build such trucks only to individual order, and there is no record of a series version. The GAZon NEXT itself went on to become GAZ's main medium truck and the base for the Sadko NEXT and many special bodies. The company's story is in the history of GAZ; its models are in the GAZ catalogue.
FAQ
Who built the GAZon NEXT pickup?
The pickup was built by Louidor, a coachbuilder that had worked with GAZ for many years on special versions for series production. GAZ itself did not take part in developing this show vehicle, according to the 2015 report.
What engine did the GAZon NEXT pickup have?
It used the standard GAZon NEXT drivetrain: the 4.43-litre YaMZ-534 diesel with about 110 kW (149 hp), a five-speed manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive. Mechanically it did not differ from the series truck.
Was the GAZon NEXT pickup put into production?
No. It was presented as a show car in 2015, and Louidor offered to build such trucks only to individual order. No series production was announced, while the GAZon NEXT truck remained in production.
When did the GAZon NEXT go on sale?
GAZ started series production of the GAZon NEXT on 19 September 2014. It replaced the GAZ-3307 and became the base for more than 300 variants, including the four-wheel-drive Sadko NEXT.
