Advertising of Soviet cars, part II (36 photos)

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Now, when saying good things about the Volga Automobile Plant is considered bad manners, it’s hard to believe it. But Lada was a global brand even when the Koreans had not yet thought about entering export markets.

In the early 70s, when entering foreign markets was on the agenda, the question arose about the export name - the Russian “Zhiguli” was too similar to the not very beautiful “gigolo” in many languages, and in some it was even a dirty word. Because of this, a “split personality” occurred: for internal needs, the familiar “Zhiguli” remained, and for the West, the more harmonious Lada.

The first batch of cars was exported in 1971 to Yugoslavia, Belgium, Holland and Finland. At the same time, the “penny” was presented to the general public at exhibitions in Leipzig, Brno and Zagreb. In total, in the 70s and 80s, over 7 million cars under the Lada brand found their new owners in 100 countries around the world.

A distinctive feature of the Lada brand for Western consumers has always been its competitive price-quality ratio. Price advantage has always been Lada's main trump card in the fight for the preferences of car enthusiasts. “Brushes on the headlights, seat belts in the rear seat, side mirrors that can be adjusted from inside the cabin. You would expect a luxury car with these options. But the price of this car is only £2895,” was written in the advertising poster for the Lada Riva (VAZ-2105).

In addition, Volga and even Zaporozhets, which was positioned as a women's small car, tried to enter foreign markets.