http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1273510/Ladas-joke--Russias-tin-wheels-trundles-way-again.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7683807/Last-laugh-for-the-Lada-as-it-returns-for-age-of-austerity.html

So apparently Lada are planning a comeback in the UK from 2012, with some backing from Renault. I'm surprised they aren't considering a change of name, as their reputation has to be worse than Skoda's was back then. I think there'll be some half-decent cars from Lada, a Lada made with backing from Renault can't be much worse than a Renault, and will give the likes of Kia and Hyundai a run for their money at the bottom end of the new car market. I doubt there'll be anything as exciting as the old Niva in the lineup though. Just imagine the jibes you'll get at work when you turn up in one.

They even have boring eurobox styling these days like most other cars on the road...

I think that Dacia have a better chance than Lada to be honest. I don't really like the look of this but think the Dacias ( also owned by Renault ) look great from what I have seen from the continent. Let's see what they charge for it!

Just getting into the driver's seat of one of the previous generation Lada's, the Samara, put me off. The pedals were set unbelievably high, like a sit-up-and-beg tractor.

Otherwise, general finish and build-quality for a bog-standard car seemed, at first glance, to compare to any of the cheaper eastern imports available at that time. Whether, it was as reliable, I couldn't say.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada_Samara (They even did a 140HP ****el engined variant - excuse propriety filter).

The vehicle above, looks like a re-hashed late 1990s Renault. Seems unlikely that Renault will want to compete with itself or Dacia (Who they are also sponsoring).

I saw a Dacia saloon last year in France. Looked OK. In fact coming-up behind it on the autoroute I thought it was a Fabia saloon.

The real price/style buster will be the Dacia 4 x 4 that's due for release here next year (?)

http://www.daciaduster.org/

Watch out Yeti.

Postscript

I've just noticed that the Telegraph article say's the Lada range is priced to start at £5,000. So even the bods on a Giro could buy a new car on 10 year HP. Ahhhh ! Now i understand what Goldman Sach's and Co were doing. What's all this c*rp about the deficit having to be halved in five years.

Nick

Edited 8 May, 201016 yr by Clunkclick

Well I think part of the business sense is in flooding the market with more options which lead to people buying a product which sends money your way whatever - so in effect they're not competing with each other. And as for what's in it for Renault, well I guess one possibility is the to boost their market position to be perceived as a more prestige brand, and therefore able to command a higher price. I am sure the Skoda brand has helped hold up prices for VW's a great deal. In essence if you have control over the lower end of the market, you have more control over the higher end.