AZLK () is a Soviet and Russian automobile manufacturer (Moscow), the maker of the Moskvitch brand.
History
Founded in 1930 as KIM, or Communist Youth International, the plant became MZMA (Moscow Small Car Factory) in 1939, before finally changing its name to the more familiar Avtomobilny zavod imeni Leninskogo Komsomola (AZLK), literally "Lenin Komsomol Automobile Plant" in 1969.
Beginning in 1939, the factory's passenger cars were sold under the Moskvitch (Muscovite, a person whose origin or place of residence is Moscow) brand. The plant was originally under the authority of Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ – Gorky Automobile Factory) founded at about the same time, but by 1939 it was operationally independent.
AZLK's role in the Soviet automotive industry was the production of small cars, which could be classified as anywhere from compact to mid-size. AvtoVAZ and IZh were also charged with producing vehicles in the same category as AZLK, while GAZ handled the large car and full-size segment.
Following privatization in 1991, AZLK adopted Moskvitch as its corporate name, as it had already been used on all of the company's cars dating to 1939.
1929–1941
thumb|right|KIM 10-50
The construction of the plant called Moscow Car Assembly Factory (Russian: Московский автосборочный завод) began in 1929. In 1930 the production of Ford A and Ford AA from parts that were provided by the Ford Motor Company began. In December 1930 the plant was named KIM (Zavod imeni Kommunsticheskogo Internatsionala Molodyozhi, Russian: КИМ (Завод имени Коммунистического Интернационала Молодёжи) - Communist Youth International, literally "Factory named after Communist Youth International"), from 1930 to 1939 its official name was Moscow Car Assembly Factory named after KIM (Московский автосборочный завод имени КИМ) and then from 1939 until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War it was called Moscow Car Factory named after KIM (Московский автомобильный завод имени КИМ). In 1933, the production of the Ford A and Ford AA ceased. On August 1, 1933, the factory became a subsidiary of GAZ and produced GAZ AA using parts from GAZ. In 1939, KIM was no longer the subsidiary of GAZ and in the following year it started to produce their first own and original model, the KIM 10-50 (two-door saloon), inspired by the Ford Prefect. There was also a convertible known as the KIM 10–51. Around 500 cars of both versions were made before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. In the early 1941, approximately 2 prototypes of the KIM 10-52 were built. It was a four-door saloon which was the major difference between the KIM 10-52 and the KIM 10–50. There were plans for mass production of this car but they were interrupted by the beginning of the war.
Post-war years
thumb|right|Moskvitch-402
In May 1945, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a decision on the production of small cars named "Moskvich". The plant was renamed to the "Small Car Plant" (PCA), and later again to "Moscow Plant of Small Cars" (MZMA, Moskovskiy Zavod Malolitrazhniy Avtomobiliy). In agreement with Opel, the plant started to produce the Moskvich-400 passenger car based on the Opel Kadett. In 1956, MZMA launched into production its own and highly successful model, the Moskvitch-402, that was followed by the upgraded and restyled versions known as the M-403 and M-407 and later by the brand new Moskvitch-408 series. On May 18, 1967, the company produced its one millionth car. The same year, the first new Moskvitch 412 appeared.