First Spy photos of 2012 Lada Granta

Over the weekend, the internet appeared first pictures of the new model Lada, called Granta.
AutoNews edition published two photos of the model whose mass production starting from September this year.


It is now known that the new model will be made on the platform of the Lada Kalina and will replace the classical model of Lada-2105/2107, produced more than 4 decades.

In a year AvtoVAZ plans to produce around 400,000 cars from the new model. According to preliminary data, the base price of cars in Russia will be about 220,000 rubles (about 9850 Euro).

The official premiere of Lada Granta will be this spring, and the general public will be presented in August at the Moscow Motor Show.


If Grant is successful model in Russia, its platform is likely to be used in cheaper models of alliance Renault-Nissan.

According to preliminary and unofficial data, models of the alliance that will make the platform of the Lada Granta will cost less than $ 10 000. Their production will also be in the works of Lada Togliatti in the Russian city.

VIDEO: Vladimir Putin Drives a Renault Formula 1 Car

Former Russian President and now Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is doing his best to remain in the spotlight. After his country decided to back the Renault F1 team, by branding it with Lada advertisements, Mr. Putin was invited to drive the R30 Formula One racer at a special event held in St. Petersburg. Video after the break.

Wearing a helmet painted in his country's colors and with Russia written on the visor, Vladimir Putin is said to have reached speeds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph), showing that he is a man of many talents.

The PM's interest towards the sport is also due to the fact that Russia's bid to hold an F1 event after the Sochi Olympics in 2014 was successful as the deal was signed less than a month ago.

By Csaba Daradics

_______________________________VIDEO_______________________________

Fan-made Transformers Film from Russia is Simply Awesome [with Video]

Michael Bay, you need to be taking notes, because this fan-made Transformers short film is epically cool. Created by 21-year old Alexander Vladimirovich Semenov from Russia, the film doesn't use little white trash GM robots or the ridonkulous SR-71 pirate grandpa; instead, it stars a cool old VAZ 2106...I think...and some dinky little cell phone robots.

Oh and the main guy is someone who ends up driving the VAZ Decepticon. Really, who wouldn't want to drive a little 4-wheeled evil?

Instead of what boils down to plain stupid product placement like Jolt the Volt, how about we make this next Transformers a little more down to earth (as crazy as that sounds)?

I know sponsors are the ones writing your checks, but there comes a time when the movie needs to still be a Michael Bay summer blockbuster and not a two hour GM commercial. Check out the slick vid below.

By Phil Alex

Мустанг: Lada Daydreams of Being a Ford Mustang

Here's what you get for having far too much time on your hands; a five-door hatchback (or is the Sportback?) Lada turned into something that tries to look like a Ford Mustang. Truth to be said, the Ukrainian owner of the Ladastang went to great lengths to make the car almost indistinguishable from a conventional Lada, but the result is hardly exciting... More painful pictures after the break.

Source: English Russia , Via: Leblogauto

Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing Crashes with Lada in Russia [with Videos]

In what could very well be the first documented crash of Mercedes-Benz's $200,000 Gullwing supercar, an SLS AMG had an unfortunate close encounter of the wrong kind with a humble yet destructive, Lada 112 'fastback', somewhere in Moscow.

From the videos of the incident we found on the net, it is revealed that a black Nissan Murano crossover was also somehow involved in the crash.

Interestingly, the license plate number of the car tells us that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing was a press / demo car used in many photo shoots and videos in Russia (see the last clip after the jump).

Photos: o0001oo & Community.Livejournal

_________________________________________________________________

This Ain't a Joke: Russia's Lada to Sponsor Renault F1 Racing Team

Remember all the classic Lada jokes of the 80s and 90s of the sort that one could crank out endlessly because the patterns are so reliable? Jokes like these: "What do you call a classic Skoda? A Lada" and "What do you call the shock absorbers on a Lada? Passengers".

Well, even though a partnership between Renault's F1 division and Lada sounds like a good foundation for a new joke, it isn't. Seriously now, Renault announced today a sponsorship deal with Russia's AvtoVAZ that will see branding from Lada on the chassis of the Renault F1 Team R30 race cars during the 2010 season.

The agreement, which was backed by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, is linked to the signing of 25-year-old Vitaly Petrov, who will make history this year as the first ever Russian F1 driver.

"We are proud to announce this new agreement, which marks another important step for the Renault F1 Team and Formula 1 in Russia," commented Renault F1 Team Chairman Gerard Lopez as he was checking out the bus and train schedules on the last pages of the Lada User's Manual.

Guess we all know the type of jokes sport fans will be making about Renault's F1 team this season...

And just to ease the concerns of the Renault F1 fans, there are no CURRENT plans to change the name of the team.

benzs_Lada C-Cross Concept Unveiled at Moscow Motor Show

Lada are one of those automotive manufacturers which many enthusiasts around the world see as nothing more than laughing material. This reputation wasn't helped when a crazy and quite ridiculously styled SUV concept attributed to Lada surfaced a couple of weeks a go which was supposed to debut at the Moscow Motor Show. Thankfully this mode never showed up, but one model that did show up is the Lada C-Cross Concept.


The design study demonstrates the styling of an upcoming C-segment crossover currently in development. It will be based on the current Renault Megane platform with a re-worked suspension, pricing will start at around 450,000 rubles (12,800 Euros).


One stumbling block the manufacturer may find is the model's clear similarities with the European Ford Focus.



Source:World Car Fans


Other article:
Moscow International Motor Show
Lada is Ready for WTCC
Renault Buys Minority Stake in AvtoVAZ

Video: Ad Makes Fun of Lada 2107

Once upon a time, well before the Tata Nano minicar came into the picture, the Lada 2107 (and all its derivatives) was one of the cheapest forms of 4wheel-transportation that money could buy. Of course, being based on the obsolete Fiat 124, terms like luxury and safety simply didn’t exist in the 2107’s vocabulary. This funny computer generated advert attempts to mock these non-existing qualities of the 2107 in a totally hilarious way. In the end, the title says: “The Legendary Lada 2107 – Quality. Tradition. Safety.” -Video after the jump

Fuzzy Wuzzy Russian Lada Niva

Truth is, it gets pretty darn cold in Russia but to dress your entire vehicle in Astroturf is kinda far fetched. On the other hand, if you think about it, the owner of this texturized Lada Niva will never have to worry about the color fading or having his vehicle accidentally scratched or dented while parked on the road. -More pics after the jump





Via: Englishrussia

Lada is Ready for WTCC

It may not be the first name you associate with the World Touring Car Championship, plenty of people might even say that hell just froze over, but Lada is almost ready to compete in Europe's premier WTCC. BMW and Alfa Romeo ruled the WTCC for many years, and only recently did Seat and Chevrolet get a foot in the door. How will the Russian marque do? We will soon know.

Russian Bears Motorsport plans to enter two Lada 110, dubbed LADA 1106, into the WTCC for the next race at Valencia, May 16 – 18. The Lada 110 WTCC is powered by a 280 hp 2.0 liter Opel engine and has withstood its first tests on the Zandvoort track in The Netherlands.

Drivers Viktor Shapovalov and Jaap van Lagen drove the race car through about 40 laps with one unscheduled stop in the gravel trap, the car remained undamaged. Next trial will take place at the official two-day WTCC test at Oschersleben.

Jaap van Lagen drove the Russian car for the first ever time, but he was very optimistic: “ We're only at the beginning of the project, so we can still make a lot of progress. The Lada 110 WTCC really surprised me. We had very good lap times. I have a lot of confidence in the future. Perhaps we can get into the top three of the privateers at the end of the season”.

Source: RBM via WorldCarFans

Lada vs Concrete Wall...

Amazingly, as you can see in the pictures after the jump, the Lada came out through the wall without any serious damages. We don’t know if the Russian driver was hurt, but if anything else, he must have lost a few years of his life the moment he saw that the crash was inevitable. -Continued

Via: Englishrusssia

Renault Buys Minority Stake in AvtoVAZ

Lada to reap benefits

Speculations aplenty about how Russian President Putin's friendly ties with French President Sarkozy were a deciding factor in the negotiations, in which Fiat and GM led the way until very recently. But today Russia's largest carmaker AvtoVAZ has sold a minority share of 25% to France's Renault.

Today Renault's Carlos Ghosn and AvtoVAZ leaders have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Togliatti, Russia. In the deal Renault will accelerate the development of AvtoVAZ, and help Lada grow to its former glory while sharing technological expertise and know-how. What Renault receives in return is a little more hazy, besides the significant 25% cut in the company, since it seems unlikely that Renault will be able to use AvtoVAZ plants for Renault and Dacia production.

Lada sales wil contribute to the Renault-Nissan Alliance's Russian market share, and with AvtoVAZ' expertise in Russia Renault and Nissan sales may increase along with Lada's. How long the co-operation lasts remains to be seen, GM has been working with AvtoVAZ for a few years now but relations have become jaundiced after some disputes.

Borat Style Street Racing In Romania

Forget about STIs vs EVOs. This street racing video is all about Romanian turbocharged Ladas with more exhaust pipes than three Ferraris put together and supped up Dacias –not the Logan mind you. BTW; are those Romanian babes hot or what… -Video after the jump

Extreme Lada Niva Tuning

The Lada Niva has achieved a sort of a cult status among its owners – we’ve met a few of them and they wouldn’t change it for the world. However, as with all cult vehicles, there’s always a plump crazy owner that spends time and money in order to create something that most of us will find totally useless - just like this tractor like Niva that was spotted somewhere in Moscow. -One more pic after the jump

Thanks for the tip Yb!

Via: Smitrich