An early-model Moskvitch produced by AZLK—one of the first cars widely available to private owners.
Cars form a curious note in the history of Soviet and post-Soviet transit planning in that they have been both emblems of the Soviet program of societal and industrial transformation as well as symbols of what Soviet policy ought not allow. More broadly, Russia and the automobile seem to have a curious love-hate relationship: everyone wants to own a car, or at least get to drive one, but no one wants there to be very many cars on the streets.
Prior to the rise of Communism, the quantity of automobiles available in Russia was scanty, to say the least. Further, large-scale domestic production of automobiles did not begin until 1916 with the creation of the Avtomobil'noe Moskovskoe Obshschestvo (Moscow Automotive Enterprise) (AMO), which came into being to produce motor vehicles for the Russian Army during the First World War. This attempt, however, was only half-successful, as those organizing the factory had little access to the heavy equipment needed to produce vehicles. (Siegelbaum 11–12)
AMO continued production after the war in limited quantities, being absorbed into the new Soviet state apparatus in 1921. Their production from this point concentrated almost exclusively on heavy trucks; here as elsewhere, the efforts of industry were directed towards creating a heavy industrial base (and consequently largely ignoring consumer goods). Despite this exclusive focus, it was not until November 1924 that the first fifteen trucks rolled off the AMO assembly lines. These were of a primitive design, but the basic model was slowly improved over time, and production was steadily increased throughout the 1920s. (Siegelbaum 13–18)
Stalin, however, seems not to have been satisfied with the direction of the factory, having it retooled in 1931 with the intent of soon producing passenger cars. Simultaneously, the factory was given the new name Zavod Imeni Stalina (Factory in the name of Stalin) (ZIS). This new factory's first product, however, was the AMO-3 truck, a technological improvement over the previous AMO designs. Stalin's desire, would, however, come to take form in the impressive ZIS-101 limousines which would soon come into use for carrying important Party officials; they were, however, plagued with mechanical problems due to the poor manufacturing quality of mechanical parts at ZIS. (Siegelbaum 19–24)
Throughout the Second World War, ZIS would continue to produce vehicles, although its production was curtailed in 1941–1942 due to German bombing which necessitated evacuating the factory. After the war, however, it did not grow in the same way that other automobile manufacturers were able; additionally, it was saddled with the tasks of producing refrigerators and bicycles, hindering its ability to produce cars. Nevertheless, with a focus on heavy trucks, it would continue production throughout the Soviet period. (Siegelbaum 25–33)
Of course, adding to the challenges faced by ZIS and other manufacturers was the state of Russian roads. Since before the Revolution, complaints about the poor quality of Russian roads were widespread. In 1917, only some 16% of roads in Russia were paved or otherwise improved; the vast majority were simple dirt roads, all but impassible to automobiles. Local road maintenance was left to the zemstvos, which had little incentive and even fewer resources to adequately improve highways for cars. Some additional progress was made in the early Soviet years, but this was primarily in cities; the overall market for cars was therefore quite small. (Siegelbaum 125–130)
However, automotive transit (particularly in terms of heavy trucks) was seen as a planning priority, and, especially at the level of All-Union roads, funding was increased to allow for the construction of modern highways. Nevertheless, by the beginning of the Second World War, the preferred mode of transport between cities was still clearly the railroad, as the state of Russian highways still bordered on the unusable. (Siegelbaum 131–137)
Nevertheless, a large automobile factory in Nizhny Novgorod was included as a part of the first Five Year Plan, which would be known as Gor'kovsky Avtomobil'ny Zavod (Gorky Automobile Plant) (GAZ). It was planned to be higher in capacity than ZIS, with plans to produce consumer models based on plans of the Ford Motor Company, whose experts were brought in to help set up the factory. The large scale of the factory necessitated building a small city of supporting housing and other buildings around the factory; delays in their construction and in the delivery of heavy machinery substantially reduced production from the projected figures. (Siegelbaum 36–49)
GAZ's initial designs were unexciting and utilitarian, but its capability of producing 140,000 cars per year by 1938 was an impressive accomplishment. One of the first models produced was the GAZ M-20, the first truly mass-produced passenger car in the Soviet Union, as well as the first one that (a very small number of) individuals were able to purchase. Advertisements of the time suggested it was more practical, economic, and reliable than American models of the time. These first two claims were likely true, though the third was undermined by the slews of mechanical problems owners encountered. Nevertheless, GAZ remained perhaps the most important automobile manufacturer throughout much of the history of the Soviet Union (Siegelbaum 54–74)