When it comes to cheap cars, there is always one that seems to stand out above the rest. Lada. Lada is a Russian company, founded to create affordable and reliable cars for the Soviet public. Lada surprised everyone by succeeding in the areas that they did, selling cars in the most obscure places. Places where it was never predicted to sell in the first place.
The name Lada comes from a river boat that is a common sight on the Volga River in Russia. It is on the Volga River that in 1965, Russian trading company AvtoVAZ was created to make a factory on the river. Lada would build the factory over the next few years, with equipment being supplied by Renault, and car designs by Fiat. The first car would begin production in 1966, the Moskvich-408. The 408 was a simple sedan car, nothing too special about it. Other than it was pretty much a copy of a popular Fiat model.
Moskvich-408 (credit: 1cars.org)
Moskvich-408 (credit: 1cars.org)
In 1970, what is considered the first Lada came onto the scene, the VAZ-2101. Which was just a modified Fiat 124. It was given a heavier steel body than the 124, and it was strengthened all around to cope with the winters of the Soviet Union. In 1973, the company of AvtoVAZ became known as Lada, as it was intended to be exported to other European markets. As to show the dominance of the Soviet Union over other western car companies. After all this was the Cold War, and production and exports of a country greatly influenced its standing in the world.
Lada 2101 (credit: RBTH)
Lada 2101 (credit: RBTH)
Oddly enough, the Lada sold well, particularly in Britian with 300,000 units sold in the country. Although there are only 200 Ladas on the road in Britian today. When they were initially exported to Britian many joked that the Lada was cheaply built, and poorly made commie car. But the Lada lasted on and still being driven today by many.
In the Soviet Union however, the Lada had acquired a distinction of being a cheap and reliable car. A Russian “people's car” if you will. In 1977, Lada began to make its own cars from scratch with its own designs. The first of which was the Lada Niva, an off roader that is still in production today, with 650,000 of them still on the roads in Russia.
Lada Niva (credit: mad4wheels.com)
Lada Niva (credit: mad4wheels.com)
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Lada kept carrying on. And continued to make cars to serve the Russian people. Cars such as the Lada 110 and the Lada 2112 hatchback were some of the innovations that Lada made to continue in the post-Soviet era. Lada continued to make cars until 2011, when they were absorbed by the AutoVAZ group. A notable modern addition that Lada has made when it comes to car production is the creation of the Lada Granta in 2014.
2014 Lada Granta (credit: bestsellingcarsblog.com)
2014 Lada Granta (credit: bestsellingcarsblog.com)
In 2016, Lada would once again come under new ownership. This time by Renault. Renault had bought our AutoVAZ and by extension bought out Lada. Lada seems to also be undergoing more changes soon. Renault has announced that Dacia and Lada will be merging soon into a Lada-Dacia unit. There is planned to be a new Lada Niva through this new arrangement, and it set to go on sale in 2024. I'm sure that Lada will do well in the future and continue innovating under the control of Renault. But please, let me know what you think of Lada, as I would love to hear your stories in the comments below.
Sources: LADA Izhevsk: 55 years of history | Automotive World and Looking Back At The History Of Lada (hotcars.com) and LADA: 50 years of history – The official LADA website
Keyword: Where did Lada come from?