Kalashnikov branches out from rifles to robots and e-cars Russian arms maker Kalashnikov has branched out from rifles to produce an electric car inspired by a rare 1970s model. The brand, best known for the AK-47 machine gun, presented the decidedly retro-looking pale blue prototype, the CV-1, at a defence expo outside Moscow last weekend. The look was inspired by a Soviet hatchback model developed in the 1970s called "Izh-Kombi". IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES