Sollers Launches Affordable Seven-Seat Minivan to Boost Birth Rates

Sollers has introduced a passenger version of its SF1 van to fill the gap left by departing Western automakers, offering a seven-seat minivan at an affordable price.

Apr 16, 2026

Minivans provide ample space for large families, including room for strollers and bicycles.
Source:
Sollers / Gemini

Sollers is launching a passenger version of its SF1 van, which was previously only available as a cargo model. The car is important for the Russian market for two reasons: first, there are almost no minivans of this class left in the country; second, the price is quite acceptable — 2.25 million rubles (about $25,000 at current rates). An ideal option for large families? Yes, but there are downsides.

The vehicle comes in a well-equipped single trim with adjustable steering but lacks a multimedia system.
Source:
Sollers

Production of the Sollers SF1 family began at the former Ford plant in Tatarstan in the middle of last year, with body welding and painting done immediately. Like other models from the Yelabuga Sollers plant, the van is not an in-house development but a Chinese JAC, in this case the Refine M3. The car is not new: it debuted in China in 2015. Unlike the van, the minivan has disc rear brakes, but the body is also not galvanized and undergoes cathodic electrocoating primer. The 1.5-liter engine (136 hp) is similar to that installed in Moskvich cars, and the transmission is a five-speed manual.

Its car-like dimensions allow it to fit into standard parking spaces.
Source:
Sollers

The car is 5115 mm (16.8 ft) long and 1900 mm (6.2 ft) high, meaning its dimensions are identical to large passenger cars and it can enter underground parking lots. The gross vehicle weight of up to 2.5 tons requires only a category B driver«s license. The payload capacity is 800 kg, cargo volume is 2900 liters, and it has seven seats. The vehicle could find a place both in large families and corporate fleets, and it has every chance of being included in the taxi registry.

Future versions of the SF1 could include diesel engines, which are already manufactured in Yelabuga.
Source:
Sollers / Gemini

The only trim level is well-equipped: heated steering wheel, seats, and washer nozzles; air conditioning; front airbags; ABS and ESP; parking sensors; audio system. There is no touchscreen or other electronic quirks, but for a utilitarian vehicle, this isn«t a top priority. At a price of 2.25 million rubles (about $25,000 at current rates), alternatives aren»t plentiful.

The Sobol brand offers a similar minivan format, though it is a niche model.
Source:
auto.ru / Luidor

The first generation Sobol in minibus format is offered immediately with plug-in all-wheel drive and costs 1.9–2.3 million rubles (about $21,000–$26,000 at current rates), but the model has been produced since 1998. The cost of the more modern Sobol NN is about 4 million rubles (about $44,000 at current rates). An inexpensive seven-seater is the Lada Largus, which starts from 1.7 million rubles (about $19,000 at current rates), but it is noticeably tighter and less powerful.

Sollers produces JAC T6, T8, and T9 pickup trucks at its Ulyanovsk plant.
Source:
Artem Krasnov

Therefore, the Sollers SF1 has market prospects, especially against the backdrop of stifled imports from Japan: minibuses often have engines over 160 hp, from which the ban on imports at preferential recycling fee rates now starts.

AVTOVAZ announced plans a year ago to assemble Chinese Shineray M7 minibuses under the SKM project.
Source:
AVTOVAZ press service

Sollers also produces JAC pickups under its own brand at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant and is preparing to launch production of an SUV on the same platform.

AVTOVAZ also dreams of producing inexpensive Chinese minibuses.