LADA is a car brand produced by AvtoVAZ, a company owned by French Renault group. The first cars made by AvtoVAZ were sold under the ziguli brand with the technical assistance of Fiat, allegedly at the suggestion of designer a. m. Cherny. When cars began to be exported to foreign markets, the zhiguli brand was considered inappropriate because it was difficult for non Russian speakers to pronounce, and it was said to be too similar to the word gigolo.

LADA brand appeared in 1973 and has since become the main brand of AvtoVAZ. The name LADA derives from a Viking long journey, symbolized by a car logo. The brand has a long history in Russia and is well known in post Soviet countries. Today, LADA vehicles are positioned to be affordable and value for money.

The key to its success is competitive price, reliability, simple DIY friendly mechanism and simple function. The car is licensed in several other countries. Competitive prices and convenient services make Ladas widely used as police cars, taxis and a range of public services and civil defense vehicles in many parts of Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

AvtoVAZ, a carmaker based in toriati on the Volga River, is a joint venture between Fiat and the Soviet Ministry of foreign trade. The proposal was discussed in Moscow, with Giovanni Agnelli, Fiat's founder and nephew of all, and vitorio Valetta, the company's president, coming from Italy. The first preliminary agreement was signed on 1 July 1965. On May 4, 1966, Alexander Tarasov and Vittorio Valletta, the ministers of automobile industry of the Soviet Union, signed the protocol on scientific and technical cooperation between Fiat and the Soviet government. Finally, the two sides signed a general agreement in Moscow on August 15, 1966.

The company began production of the vaz-2101 in 1970, a more robust version of the Fiat 124. The car uses heavy steel body panels and reinforced parts, which improves the reliability on the road of sakazaki bump and in the severe winter of the Soviet Union. In Fiat's documents, the prototype of the car is called Fiat 124R, and "R" stands for Russia.

Since the original Fiat engine did not have any space for modernization, AvtoVAZ considered this unacceptable, so it was replaced by a newer overhead camshaft motor. The car is equipped with a strong drum brake because the latter shows higher reliability on poor roads, and has more reliable and up-to-date front and rear suspension, as well as greater ground clearance, modern gearbox and embedded door handle. The work on the new car is carried out by a joint team of Nami and Fiat engineers, who work together in Turin and toriati. By the spring of 1970, AvtoVAZ had formed its own team of experienced designers and engineers and worked independently.

Vaz-2101 was sold as "zhiguli" brand in the Soviet Union and exported as "LADA" brand. The name "LADA" derives from a Viking longevity, symbolized by a logo badge. Due to the scarcity of the Soviet garage, Ladas is designed to be easy for owners to maintain. The rugged LADA is popular in Europe, Canada and South America because its customers are looking for alternatives to local brands at affordable prices and the sales of new cars have been very successful, even reaching New Zealand. In the west, their structure is often described as cheap, which can hurt the cost of the car in a joke. Still, LADA "provides the reputation of a solid, simple and reliable car manufacturer for drivers who want to save money.". Today, the brand's reputation is relatively low, although it has been growing rapidly in recent years.