Vladimir Putin’s Lada Stunt Turns into a Joke as Car Fails to Start

“What do you call a Lada that starts the first time? A novelty!” This is only one of numerous joke about Lada’s cars and their reliability but to the misfortune of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the joke turned out to be true during an official presentation of the troubled automaker’s new Granta small sedan.

The 58-year-old prime minister attended the unveiling of Lada’s budget model at the headquarters of its car manufacturer Avtovaz in the Volga River city of Tolyatti. In his usual confident style, Putin approached the car for a first look. The troubles started right from the beginning as one of the men accompanying the prime minister had a hard time opening the vehicle’s boot.

Then, in a marketing fail comparable only to Volvo’s unbelievable crash incident last year, Putin entered the car to take it for a test drive. He tried to start it once. He failed. He tried a second time, nothing. The same thing happened three more times until finally, the Lada came into life. Luckily for us, the entire incident was captured on film. Watch the video right after the jump.

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VIDEO: Here's the Funniest, Most Sincere Used Car Ad

Advertising a used car has become a more complicated task nowadays with some sellers even making use of social networks, YouTube and all that ‘modern’ stuff. One can't just put an ad in the newspaper and hope people are going to call instantly. The following video ad uploaded on YouTube by a Russian Lada owner demonstrates sellers have become much more creative in showcasing their cars' qualities. Watch the funny ad after the break

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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

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

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.