AvtoVAZ

Lada is a formerly state-owned automobile manufacturer based in Russia. During the 1970s and 1980s, it produced the Samara, a small hatchback, and the Niva, a miniature SUV. Both were based on Fiat 124.

The factory producing the cars is called VAZ. On the domestic market Lada is called Zhighuli. They also produce cars called Oka, Samara, Tarzan, Nadezhda and Niva.

While the vehicle's basic designs were OK - indeed, at the time the Niva had superior mechanicals and suspension setup to comparably-priced small Japanese SUVs - the quality of manufacture was typically below-par. Whilst sanctions banned their export to the United States, they were available in several Western countries, including Canada, where they became the butt of jokes, for example:

Q: How do you double the resale value of a Lada? A: Fill the tank with petrol.

See: Automobile.

What happened to Lada? Probably disappeared with the USSR?

Lada still exists, nowdays they have a co-operation with General Motors.

Links

• Lada official site
• Lada category at ODP