In the West, their construction was frequently described as cheap and that inspired jokes at the car's expense nonetheless, Lada "gained a reputation as a maker of solid, unpretentious and reliable cars for motorists who wanted to drive on a budget." The Lada brand appeared in 1973, and it has since become the main brand for AvtoVAZ vehicles. The rugged Lada was popular in Europe, Canada and South America for customers looking for more affordable alternatives to local brands, and sales of the new cars were extremely successful, reaching as far as New Zealand. Due to the scarcity of auto repair shops in the Soviet Union, Ladas were designed to be easily maintained by their owners. Lada become the brand for export markets. When the cars began to be exported on foreign markets, the Zhiguli designation was found to be inappropriate, as it was hard to pronounce for non-Russian speakers, and it was said to resemble the word gigolo too closely. The first cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ with technical assistance from Fiat were marketed under the Zhiguli designation, allegedly chosen after it was suggested by the designer, A. In Fiat's documents the prototype of the car was named Fiat-124R, where 'R' stood for Russia. The car was given heavier steel body panels and strengthened components, which improved reliability on the bumpy roads and in the harsh winters of the Soviet Union. The company began producing the VAZ-2101 in 1970, which was a more rugged version of the Fiat 124 sedan. Eventually, a general agreement between the two sides was signed in Moscow on 15 August 1966. On, the Soviet minister of automotive industry Alexander Tarasov and Vittorio Valletta put their signatures on a protocol on the scientific and technical cooperation between Fiat and the Soviet ministry. The first preliminary agreement was signed on 1 July 1965. Both sides discussed the proposal in Moscow, where Gianni Agnelli, the owner and nephew of the founder of Fiat, and Vittorio Valletta, the president of the company, had arrived from Italy. The automaker AvtoVAZ was formed from a collaboration between Fiat and the Soviet Vneshtorg (Department of Foreign Trade), and based in the city of Tolyatti on the Volga river. Over two million VAZ-2105s were produced from 1980 to 2010 The competitive pricing and ease of service made Ladas popular as police cars, taxis, and a range of public service and civil defense vehicles in many parts of Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.
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The car was built under license in several other countries. The keys to its success were said to be its competitive price, reliability, simple DIY-friendly mechanics and simple functionality. The brand has a long history in Russia, and it is well known in post-Soviet countries today Lada vehicles are positioned as affordable, and as offering good value for money. Technical assistance from the French company started in 2008, after it acquired a minority AvtoVAZ stake. Groupe Renault took control of the brand in 2016.
The Lada brand appeared in 1973, initially being overseas-focused before becoming AvtoVAZ's main brand for all markets in the 1990s. The first cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ, then a state-owned enterprise, were produced with technical assistance from Fiat and marketed under the Zhiguli designation. From January 2021 onwards Lada is integrated with sister brand Dacia into Renault's Lada-Dacia business unit. Lada ( Cyrillic: Лада, Russian pronunciation: ), marketed as LADA, is a brand of cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ (originally VAZ), a Russian company owned by the French Groupe Renault.