Lada Niva

The Lada Niva or VAZ-2121 (Russian: Лада Нива; Niva (нива) is the Russian word for "crop field") is an off-road vehicle produced by the Russian (former Soviet) manufacturer AvtoVAZ. It was also marketed as the Lada Sport in Iceland,Lada Taiga in Austria, Bognor Diva in Uruguay, the Lada Cossack in Britain, and is offered since 2009 on most markets as the Lada 4x4.

It was the first mass production off-road vehicle to feature a unibody architecture, independent front suspension with coil springs, and is a predecessor to current crossover SUVs which nearly all follow this format; it inspired the Suzuki Vitara. Pickup and emergency van versions are produced by VAZInterService.

History

The Niva (VAZ-2121) was described by its designers as a “Renault 5 put on a Land Rover chassis.” Development began in 1971, when a team of VAZ designers under Vladimir Solovyev began work on a "civilized" four-wheel drive vehicle. It was inspired in part by the IZh-14 prototype of 1974. It was VAZ's first non-Fiat based model. Much of its mechanicals are carried over from the Fiat 124-based Lada models, though the body, four-wheel drive system, and front suspension were designed by VAZ. The first prototypes appeared in 1971 and 1972, but were rejected as too utilitarian, so doors and hardtop were added; this version debuted in 1973. This took inspiration from the VAZ-1101, and was created by designer Valery Pavlovitch. The engine was changed to a 1,568 cc (95.7 cu in) from the VAZ-2106, with permanent four-wheel drive and locking differentials. On trials during 1973 and 1974, it showed it could climb a 58° slope or ford 60 cm (24 in) of water or 100 cm (39 in) of snow. It was approved for production in 1977 as the Niva (Field).

Lada

Lada is a marque of car manufactured by Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ based in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. It was originally the export brand for models sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market after June 1970.

Lada cars became popular in Russia and Eastern Europe during the last two decades of the Soviet era, particularly in former Soviet bloc countries.

The original Lada was widely exported in sedan and station-wagon versions, and with over 20 million units sold before production ended in mid-2012, it had become the highest-selling automobile to be produced without a major design change.

The Lada badge depicts a shallow-draft river sailing ship (a form of Viking longship) known as a lad'ya in Russian.

Overview

Lada made its name in Western Europe selling large volumes of the Fiat 124-based VAZ-2101 and its many derivatives as an economy car during the 1980s, but later models were less successful.

The common Lada sedan and estate, sometimes known as the "Classic" in the West (VAZ 2104/2105/2107 were known as Signet in Canada, Riva in the UK, and Nova in Germany), was based on the 1966 Fiat 124 sedan and became a successful export car. The keys to its success were: competitive price, reliability, simple DIY-friendly mechanics and unpretentious functionality. After 1980, over 15 million Ladas badged as Rivas (UK), Signets (Canada), and Novas (Germany), added to some five million made from 1970 to 1979, badged as the 2101 (Lada 1200 sedan), 2102 (Lada 1200 estate), Lada 2103 (quad headlights, more luxurious interior than the Lada 1200, known as Lada 1500s in Canada), Lada 2106 (improved Lada 2103, known as the Lada 1600 in Canada) totaling over 20 million. The car was built under licence in several other countries.

Lada (name)

Lada is a Slavic female given name. In Slavic mythology, Lada is the goddess of beauty, love and marriage. It may be derived from the word lad (order), the Old Czech lada (girl, maid) or Serbian and Croatian mlada (bride). Pronounced lah-dah. Lada is also a shortened name for the Slavic names Ladislava and Wladysława.

Lada is also a Polish, Czech, and Hungarian surname.

Name days

Given name

Surname

Fictional characters

Lada (disambiguation)

Lada is a Russian car manufacturer.

Lada can also refer to:

Acronym LADA can refer to:

See also