Territory of the former I. A. Likhachev Plant (ZIL) (Moscow)

 abandoned / shut down, invisible

Founded in 1916.

At different times, the plant repaired foreign trucks, set up engine production, and created domestic vehicles. From 1924 to 2009, the plant produced around 8 million trucks, 40,000 buses, and 12,000 passenger cars. Additionally, from 1951 to 2000, it manufactured 5.5 million household refrigerators and, from 1951 to 1959, more than 3 million bicycles. Over 630,000 vehicles were exported to 51 countries.

Serial production of trucks was halted in 2014, when the Moscow Government, the owner of the controlling stake in OAO "ZIL," decided to close the plant and build a residential complex and sports district on its site.

Since then, no official information about the plant’s activities has been released. In December 2014, the assets of Assembly Shop No. 6 were put up for auction. A group of enthusiasts saved the unique production of executive-class cars from complete destruction by purchasing the lot in January 2015. In MSC No. 6, an independent enterprise for the assembly and service of ZIL-41041 cars and their modifications was organized. By the end of 2016, MSC No. 6 was the only operational workshop at the Likhachev Plant.

The fate of the Pressing and Welding Shop was different. After the cessation of truck production in 2014, the shop was not closed. The last workers of the once largest automobile plant in the USSR continued to assemble ZIL-432940 medium-duty trucks by order. Customers included both Moscow companies and enterprises from other Russian cities.

At the beginning of 2016, only 300 people remained of the 60,000 former employees, including workers from the plant management and various support departments.

In October 2016, the almost destroyed Likhachev Plant "celebrated" its 100th anniversary. Later, it was revealed that the last truck, ZIL-43276T, was assembled in the Pressing and Welding Shop during this time. Contrary to tradition, the last model was not sent to the museum but was sold as an ordinary vehicle and handed over to the Kazan Tram Depot as an emergency service vehicle. Soon after, the remaining staff of the Pressing and Welding Shop was laid off.

Although vehicles of the executive class are still assembled at the plant site, the fate of the plant was decided several years ago. In early 2016, Moscow authorities confirmed their plans: the production of stamps for foreign vehicles would be moved to the S24 building in the "Moscow" technopolis, and all buildings of the Likhachev Plant would be demolished.

www.amo-zil.ru