Lada

This page is about a car manufacturer. For Slavic goddess, see Lada and Lado.

Lada is the trading name of the AutoVAZ (Volzhsky Automobilny Zavod) company. This Russian manufacturer, originally set up in collaboration with Fiat, produces a number of cars, including the Samara, a small hatchback, and the Niva, a 4x4 vehicle. Their first car, the model BA3-2101, based on the 1966 Fiat 124 and introduced in 1970 is still produced and remains the car most associated with the Lada name.

The plant was set up as a collaboration between Italy and the Soviet Union and built on the banks of the Volga river. A new town named Togliatti, named after an Italian communist, was built around the factory. The Lada was envisaged as a "peoples car" like the CitroÃÂÃÂ«n 2CV or the VW Beetle.

The original Fiat-based Lada (model numbers 2101 to 2107 to denote various headlight, trim and body styles) were built in several different body styles. Among them, the original, Fiat style car, with two or four round lights. The model with two round head lights was manufactured up to 1988, the model with four head lights is still being manufactured, though not at the Togliatti plant.

Lada 1200 Sedan "Zhiguli" (model 2105)

In 1981 a newer body style with updated 80's styling was introduced. Square headlights and new body panels distinguish this style from the old.

The lightweight Italian Fiat 124 was adapted into something that could survive treacherous Russian driving conditions. Among many changes, aluminium brake drums were added to the rear, and a new advanced engine with an overhead camshaft was fitted. The suspension was raised to clear rough Russian roads and the bodyshell was made from thicker, heavier steel. The first Lada models were equipped with a starting handle in case the battery went flat in Siberian conditions, though this was later dropped. Also to help out in cold conditions, a hand pump for the gas pump was fitted. The original Lada remains an excellent winter car for rough conditions.

Engines fitted to the original Ladas start with the 1.2 liter carburettor in the original and go up to the 1.7 liter export model set up with a General Motors single point fuel injection system. More modern gas and diesel engines may be available within Russia.

The original Lada is a rugged simple machine that is easy and cheap to repair. The suspension excells on rough roads, and it will start in any temperature. Snowdrifts and temperatures of below minus 30 degrees centigrade are no problem. The drivetrain is a simple rear wheel drive setup with a stiff rear axle. The engine is an inline four with two valves per cylinder and a single overhead camshaft.

Percieved quality is poor, with interrior pieces fitting poorly and made with low quality plastic. Earlier models are of better quality than later ones. Otherwise mechanicals are just so simple, as to not have many problems, though some later export models with added electronics have been rumored to be unreliable.

The original Lada is a rugged car, lacking in most modern luxuries expected in modern cars. It is however ideal for the rugged conditions experienced in many remote parts of the world.

The domestic market Lada is called Zhiguli. Their other cars include the Oka, Tarzan, 110, Kalina and Nadezhda, in addition to the Samara 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 4x4s — the quality of manufacture was typically below-par. While sanctions banned their export to the United States, they were available in several Western countries, including Canada, where they became the butt of jokes such as these:

Q: How do you double the resale value of a Lada?

A: Fill 'er up!

Q: Why do Ladas come as standard with rear window defrosters?

A: So your hands stay warm while you're pushing it.

While many of the jokes were unfounded, Lada's providing basic no-frills transport, the damage to the company's reputation was immense. Ever tightening emmissions and safety legislation forced AutoVAZ out of most Western markets by the late 1990s. Another contributing factor was the influx of Far Eastern motor manufacturers such as Daewoo, Proton, and Hyundai who were able to offer modern, Japanese-designed automobiles which were well equipped, of high quality and just as keenly priced.

Though the original Lada, and as of the early part of the new millenium the Samara, have been forced out of Europe due to stiffened EU regulations, the 110 and the Niva are still sold in many parts of Europe. The Lada is also a very popular car in many Central- and South American countries as well as Africa, the Middle East and of course in all of the former Soviet Union.

Lada

External links