Russian sanctions give birth to all-new 90s-spec Lada
No traction control, one airbag, and meets 1996 emission standards
Russia is currently facing heavy sanctions due to their invasion of Ukraine. Plenty of foreign companies pulled out from the country, including those from the automotive industry.
Just a month ago, the Russian government nationalized French automaker Renault's Moscow factory to AVTOVAZ, preserving jobs for its people and keep producing cars without relying on foreign suppliers. With full control of the company, government officials somehow pulled it off, and they are now making this – the Lada Granta Classic.
For starters, the Lada Granta is already an 11-year-old model, and the 761,500 ruble (PHP 693,000) Granta Classic is the most affordable passenger car in Russia. Indeed, the Classic name lives up to its promise. Well, if you look at its features. It's as bare-bones as can be and offers the level of standard equipment you'd normally see from cars that were made in the 90s. Let's run it down, shall we?
The Granta Classic is powered by a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine with 90 PS, and is mated to a five-speed manual transmission. That's not so bad, isn't it? But here's the interesting part; the engine fails to meet current European emissions standards, and only meets the regulations from 1996.
Based on Lada's website, the car doesn't have traction control and no passenger-side airbags. But as a consolation prize, the car does at least have seatbelts, power steering, power front windows, ISOFIX child restraint systems, and anti-lock brakes as standard.
In addition, the Classic variant rolls on 14-inch steel wheels with decorative caps, and remote keyless entry plus air-conditioning are optional extras. The Granta is offered in three body styles: sedan, hatchback, and liftback. All of them are being built at the former Renault plant in Togliatti, Russia.
As of now, the Lada Granta Classic is the first model that restarted Russia's vehicle production. But will we see more of these in the near future, including the 45-year-old Lada Niva? We'll find out soon.
