Oka with 750cc SOHC 2 cylinder engine | Oka mini-car |
The parent company of the Lada is AutoVAZ. On 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 SUVs - 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: What happened to Lada? Did it disappear with the USSR?
A: No. It entered into a joint venture with General Motors.
Q: Why do Ladas come standard with rear window defrosters?
A: So your hands stay warm while pushing it.