"Zetta is the smallest electric car, which is being developed and undergoing final tests; we expect to launch its serial production by the end of this year," Manturov stated in an interview to Russian RBK TV.
Zetta is a compact three-door electric vehicle with a maximum speed of 120 kph (74.6 mph), which will be mass-produced at the Togliatti plant, in the Samara region, the Russian hub for the automotive industry. The price of the car in the basic configuration will be 550,000 rubles ($77,000).
Zetta production was first scheduled for 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic and funding problems.
The launch of Zetta mass production comes in the wake of a national initiative to achieve a 10% rate of electric cars among all cars produced by 2030 in the country.
Manturov added that serial production of hydrogen-fueled Aurus, a Russian luxury car brand, is set to enter the market in 2024.
"By 2024 we are planning to develop a mass-produced model to be introduced to the market," the official said.
The first experimental model of hydrogen-fueled Aurus Senat was introduced late in May when its serial production started at the Elabuga plant in the Republic of Tatarstan.