- This page is about a car manufacturer. For Slavic goddess, see Lada and Lado.
Lada is the trademark of the AutoVAZ (ВАЗ, or VAZ - Volzhsky Automobilny Zavod) company. This Russian automobile manufacturer, originally set up in collaboration with Fiat, produces nearly one million cars a year, including the Samara, a small hatchback, and the Niva, a 4x4 vehicle. The variations of their first car, the model ВАЗ-2101, based on the 1966 Fiat 124 and introduced in 1970, are still produced and remain the cars most associated with the Lada name.
The official English name of the company is JSC AVTOVAZ.
Origins 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 "people's car" like the Citroën 2CV or the VW Beetle.
The lightweight Italian Fiat 124 was adapted into something intended to survive treacherous Russian driving conditions. Among many changes, aluminium brake drums were added to the rear, and the Fiat engine was revised and converted to overhead camshaft operation. 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. Another feature specifically intended to help out in cold conditions was a manual auxiliary fuel pump.
Engines fitted to the original Ladas start with the 1.2 L carburettor in the original and go up to the 1.7 L export model set up with a General Motors single point fuel injection system. Diesel engines were fitted for export only. 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.
 Lada 'Zhiguli' Sedan (model 2105). The Fiat-based Ladas feature various headlight, trim and body styles. The original, Fiat style models included VAZ 2101 sedan and VAZ 2102 station vagon. 1972 saw introduction of deluxe version of the sedan, VAZ 2103, which was based on Fiat 124 Speciale and featured new 1.5L engine and twin headlights. In 1974, the original 2101 was updated with 1.3L engine, improved interiors and was dubbed VAZ 21011 (1.2L version was dubbed 21012, 21013 featured 1.5L engine). In 1976, VAZ 2102 underwent the same improvements and name code changes as 2101. These original models were manufactured until 1984. The VAZ 2106 introduced in 1976 was an updated verion of 2103, featuring different interiors and new 1.6L engine (modifications with 1.5L and 1.3L engines were named 21065 and 21063). 2106 is the oldest and the most popular rear-drive model of AutoVAZ, its production continued until 2001.
In 1980, a newer body style with updated 80s styling was introduced. Square headlights and new body panels distinguish this style from the old models. VAZ 2105 sedan featured 1.3L engine with 1.1L (21051) and 1.5L (21053) variations. A deluxe version, VAZ 2107, was out in 1982. It featured 1.5L engine, refined interiors and Mercedes-like radiator grille (variations: 21072 with 1.3L engine, 21074 with 1.6L engine). In 1984 the line-up was completed with VAZ 2104 station wagon. The car came with 1.3L engine (1.5L version was named 21043).
Non-Fiat models AutoVAZ designers proved that they have some original ideas when VAZ 2121 Niva was introduced in 1978. This highly popular city car was made with off-road use in mind, featuring full wheel drive, original hull style and the most powerful 1.7L engine in the AutoVAZ range. Based on the success of the Niva, the design department prepared the new family of front wheel drive models by 1984, a completely domestic design. Production started with VAZ 21083 Sputnik 3-door hatchback (later renamed Samara). The car came with 1.3L engine standard (2108 modification came with 1.1L engine).
Although the engines were still slighly modified Fiat 124 ones, the line-up featured completely new body and interiors, McPherson suspension and updated gearshift. 5-door VAZ 21093 hatchback followed in 1987, and 4-door 1.5L sedan, VAZ 21099, was introduced in 1990. The 2108-2109 models were in production until 2001, when they were restyled with new side panels, updated interiors and 1.5L fuel injection engines. Lada 2109 hatchback was rebadged as Lada 2114, and Lada 21099 sedan was rebadged as Lada 2115. The 2104-21099 model range was transferred to TagAZ and ZAZ and is still being manufactured. Several variants of Niva are still in production on AutoVAZ. In 2004 AutoVAZ also introduced Lada 2113, a restyled version of Lada 2108.
Oka with 750cc SOHC 2 cylinder engine | | | Small A-class car that VAZ 1111 Oka that closely resembles Fiat Panda was introduced in 1988, and in 1991 the production was transferred to KamAZ and SeAZ factories.
The break-up of the USSR delayed the production of new 110-series by a couple of years. The VAZ 2110 sedan was introduced in 1996, the 2111 station wagon followed in 1998 and the line was completed with the 2112 hatchback in 2001. These models are basically based on Samara technology with a new hull and fuel injection engines as standard. Each model has several modifications based on the engine and options installed—for example, the 21102 variant has the 1.5 L 16V engine, while the 21104 uses the latest 1.6 L 16V fuel injection engine. The VAZ 2120 Nadezhda minivan is based on original Niva and was in low-volume production since 1998. A five-door version of the Niva, the VAZ 2131, has been in production since 1995.
2005 will see the introducion of the new B-class Kalina lineup to the market. AutoVAZ has built a new modern plant for this model and hoping to sell some 200,000 cars annually. Production of Lada 1118 sedan started in November 2004; the Lada 1119 hatchback and Lada 1117 station wagon with updated DOHC 1.6L engines are to follow in 2005–6. The restyled 2110-series model, Lada 2170, is set for production in 2006.
The domestic market Lada was called Zhiguli. In the 2000s, the VAZ designation was dropped from the model names in favour of Lada, so the VAZ 2110 becomes the Lada 110, etc.
The object of jokes The original Lada is often thought of as a 'rugged' car, lacking in most modern luxuries expected in modern cars. While sanctions banned their export to the United States, Ladas were available in several Western countries during the 1980s, including Canada and Britain, where, due to a perception of poor quality and their low price, they became the subject 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.
They were along the same line as jokes known for other affordable car models: - Ford - also known as Found On Road Dead or Fix Or Repair Daily
- Fiat - Fix It Again Tomorrow or Fix It Again Tony!
Markets Changes to emissions- and safety-legislation meant that AutoVAZ withdrew from most Western markets by the late 1990s; often, there were also problems with spare parts. The rise in popularity of Far Eastern imports from newly established manufacturers such as Daewoo, Proton, Kia and Hyundai contributed to Lada's demise in the West. These Korean and Malaysian-manufactured vehicles offered modern Japanese-developed technology, reliability and high equipment levels which Lada could not hope to compete with.
Though the original Lada, and as of the early part of the new millennium the Samara, have now been withdrawn from Europe, the 110 and the Niva are still sold on the European market, as are the more modern models. The Lada is widely available in many Central- and South American countries as well as Africa, the Middle East and in all of the former Soviet Union.
Cooperation with General Motors Lada's recent cooperation with General Motors has resulted in the Chevrolet Niva. This updated version of Niva, VAZ 2123, was considered for production since the 1990s. It has been built on the GM-AutoVAZ plant since 2001 and is exported to Europe and Latin America. In 2004, it announced the Chevrolet Viva, a four-door version of the Opel Astra G.
Recent developments VAZ has also tried to get into the sportier markets: several Ladas were factory-tuned and given a Momo steering wheel. A convertible was also produced. In 2003 VAZ presented the concept car VAZ Lada Revolution, an open single seater sportscar powered by a 1.6 L engine producing 215 hp. [1] There are other experimental cars like Tarzan concept, 110 coupe, VAZ 1922 monster truck and VAZ 2359 pick-up both based on Niva etc.
Under perestroika AutoVAZ was allowed to sell cars to private dealers. Mathematician Boris Berezovsky arranged to resell the cars to the public and later acquired the company from the government in 1991. In early post-Communist Russia, a bizarre export market for unwanted Lada vehicles began to emerge. A shortage of both cars and spare parts led to armies of Russian speculators coming to the West (where the cars were considered unfashionable to the point of ridicule and therefore worthless), to buy back thousands of Lada cars for export back to their home country. For this reason, Ladas are a relatively rare sight nowadays in Western European countries, although AutoVAZ has since developed a new generation of Lada cars and is bidding to return to these markets.
The Lada factory is one of the biggest in the world, has over 90 miles (144 km) of production lines and is unique in that most of the components for the cars are made in-house. It produces over 800,000 cars a year.
See also: List of automobile manufacturers
External links | 
Feeds |
Contact