[1] JV "AvtoZAZ-DEU" (since January 2003 - CJSC "ZAZ") in the form of a closed joint stock company was established on April 15, 1998, on the production base of JSC "Avtozaz".

The authorized capital was formed at the expense of the founders' contributions: from OJSC Avtozaz - property in the amount equivalent to $150; from Daewoo Motors - $150 million.

All production facilities of AvtoZAZ (primarily MeMZ and the Black Sea Motor Plant) were transformed into ZAZ.

The plant has created and is constantly improving a qualitatively new modern high-tech production that meets the requirements of the international standard ISO 9001 version 2000.

[citation needed] The company that became ZAZ developed out of four businesses founded by German entrepreneur Abram J. Koop to manufacture agricultural machinery.

[citation needed] Design of a car accessible to the public, and one in part taking the place of the soon to be discontinued Moskvitch 401, began in 1956.

[6] It was powered by a flat twin-cylinder MD-65 engine provided by the Irbitskyi Motorcycle Plant, which was "totally unsuited": it produced only 17.5 hp (13.0 kW; 17.7 PS) and lasted only 30,000 km (19,000 mi) between major overhauls.

[6] Minavtroprom, however, preferred a 23 hp (17 kW; 23 PS) [7] 746 cc (45.5 cu in) V4 engine, the NAMI-G, which had the additional advantage of being developed for the LuAZ-967.

[6] The new car was approved for production 28 November 1958,[8] the name changing to ZAZ (Zaporizhzhia Automobile Building Plant) to reflect the new profile.

[10] Sorochkin hoped to capture the market for compact utility vehicles, which were in perennially short supply in the Soviet Union.

When AvtoZAZ-Daewoo joint venture with Daewoo Motors was formed in 1998, ZAZ was assigned to the new company as a 50% share on behalf of AvtoZAZ.

Daewoo Motors made large investments and established the production of its own models, while keeping and modernizing the native ZAZ brand.

All of the AvtoZAZ manufacturing facilities (most notably, MeMZ and Illichivsk assembling plant)[15] were reincorporated into ZAZ.

[16] In 2012 Zaporizhzhia Automobile Building Plant started serial full-scale production of new car model, the ZAZ Vida.

Production of serial machines began on October 1, 1960, and by the end of the year was released about one and a half thousand "Zaporozhtsiv".

When the 130th anniversary of the plant was celebrated in September 1993, the festive motorcade was opened by one of the first "Zaporozhians", decorated with a banner with the number 332 106.

However, its production was delayed due to the allied leadership, perhaps for economic reasons - to put on the assembly line a new model just a year after the release of the previous one was considered inappropriate.

The history of "Tavria" is interesting and diverse, because the current car was preceded by many different prototypes, some of which have remained forever in the form of models, dusted in the design offices of ZAZ, and others were embodied in metal and once passed running tests .

The first conceptual variant that left the plant on its own was the front-wheel drive ZAZ-1102 "Tavria" of the 1970 model, developed by a group of Kommunar specialists under the leadership of chief designer Steshenko.

The designers of the Kommunar plant needed a lot of time to prepare and launch into serial production in 1988 the final version of the ZAZ-1102 "Tavria".

In 1991, three years after the start of production, the car was restyled, during which the shape of the front wings and interior elements changed.

To reduce the cost of the car, attempts were made to switch from expensive front Czech optics to domestic.

But despite the difficult times in 1995, the plant prepared for production a new model based on "Tavria" - a five-door station wagon ZAZ-1105 "Dana", which was produced until 1997.

After the founding of JV AvtoZAZ-Daewoo in 1998, some modernization of the structure and saturation of the market with imported (Korean) components, there was hope for the rehabilitation of the quality of the car.

In 1998, a Ukrainian-Korean joint venture with foreign investment was registered in the form of the closed joint-stock company AvtoZAZ-Daewoo.

Thanks to the financial support of a foreign partner, new technologies, unique quality control systems, engineering developments, which were introduced together with investments, as well as the consistent assistance of the state, a new historical stage has begun for Zaporizhzhya plant.

This period was also marked by significant changes in the strategy opened up new prospects and opportunities for cooperation with the greats of the global automotive business - DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Opel, Renault and others, which allowed to implement investment projects to organize full-scale production of leading global brands.

In the same year, the Swiss financial and investment company Hirsch & Cie acquired a 50% stake in ZAZ owned by Daewoo Motors.