Lada 2107 Ends Production After 32 Years

After 32 years of production AutoVAZ ended the production of the Lada 2107 on April 17. The car was the Russian equivalent of the Citroen 2CV or Volkswagen Beetle. It was meant to be an inexpensive but reliable transport. AutoVAZ says that sales of the model are down 76% in the first quarter, and AutoVaz sales are down 15%. IZH who had been building the 2107 under contract will continue building the 2104, which is the wagon version of the car, until the end 2012.

Is the girl signaling for help or does she come with the car?

© photo courtesy of: Lada

Saying that the 2107 is 32 years old, is not strictly true. While the model was introduced in 1980, it was a very basic redesign of the VAZ 2101, which was based on the Fiat 124. The 2107 added rectangular headlights, and, as if it were possible, a slightly more boxy body. However, the engine, transmission, suspension and brakes were still from the Fiat 124. There was a cheaper model of the 2107 called the 2105 that had the same body but used a 1.3l engine compared to the 2107's 1.5.

The 124 was introduced in 1966 and was modified to deal with harsher Russian conditions to become the AutoVAZ 2101. The car became known as the Zhiguli, which is the name of a Russian mountain range. The car used thicker steel and drum brakes than the Fiat. To deal with Russian winters, some versions of the car had a hand crank to start the engine in case the battery died. Sedan and wagon versions were made, and the Soviet police got cars with a larger 1.5l engine. Production of the 2101 ended in 1988. So you can draw a direct 46 year lineage from the Fiat 124 to the current 2107. In terms of body and suspension, the cars are quite similar, only the engines have been changed over the years.

The 124 has quite a history itself because Fiat licensed clones of the car all over the world. In addition to the Lada 2101, the 124 was also built in India as the Premier 118NE until 2001; Spain as the Seat 124 until 1980; Bulgaria until 1971; Turkey as the Murat 124 until 1994 and South Korea as the Kia 124 until 1975. The 2107 even got into clone production in Egypt where Suzuki built it from 2002 to 2007.

The current 2107 comes with a 1.6l, four-cylinder engine with 72hp and 86lb-ft of torque. Its price of 206,900 Russian Rubles has a current exchange rate of $6,997. It comes exclusively with a five-speed manual transmission and rides on 13in wheels. The top speed is 150km/h. The earliest models in 1980 used a 1.2l engine and later a 1.3 liter unit. However, in 1992 the 2107 finally got fuel injection to deal with rising emissions standards. 

This ad is not specifically for the Lada 2101, but it features one. Have a look. 

Total production for the 2107 is unclear because of its variants and various locations of production, especially since the 2104 wagon is still in production. The cars have been sold throughout the world including in Cuba, the former East Germany and Finland. However, rough estimates put total production including its 2101 predecessor at around 15 million cars. In comparison about 21 million Volkswagen Beetles were built in its history.  While production may be ending, given the huge production numbers, it will be several years before you will not be able to find some variation of the car on Russian roads. 

The images in the gallery are a mixture of 2101 and 2107 images. The cars with circular headlights are the 2101, and the ones with rectangular headlights are the 2107. 

It also should not be a total surprise that with so many made that someone would not try to race these. Because they are based on the Fiat 124, these Ladas make competent rally and track cars. 

Source: Montreal Gazette