Latvia
Lada
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Lada is a brand of cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ, a Russian company owned by the French Groupe Renault. The first cars manufactured by AvtoVAZ, with technical assistance from Fiat, were marketed under the Zhiguli brand. When the cars began to be exported on foreign markets, the Zhiguli brand 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 Lada brand appeared in 1973, and it has since become the main brand for AvtoVAZ vehicles. The name Lada is derived from a type of small boat in Slavic language, symbolized by the car's logo. 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. The keys to its success were said to be its competitive price, reliability, simple DIY-friendly mechanics and simple functionality.
