It is named for the nearby Zavod Imeni Likhacheva where ZIS and ZIL limousines were built.

As part of the destalinization process, the factory's name changed to Zavod Imeni Likhacheva in 1956 and the station became Avtozavodskaya.

[1] Parts of the former factory have been demolished to accommodate the construction of a residential complex; however, the name remains in place.

Additionally, Avtozavodskaya is decorated with eight mosaics depicting events of the Great Patriotic War.

On February 6, 2004, a suicide bomber set off an explosion between Avtozavodskaya and Paveletskaya in which 41 people were killed and 250 were injured.