Russia's Lada car may return to the British market after 13-year-old absence, the Daily Mail has said. Renault, which holds a 25% stake in Russia's largest carmaker AvtoVAZ, is set to re-launch production of the budget car brand in the U.K. The French car giant expects that Lada will do well amid the current economic downturn. "The UK was one of the few markets where Lada was a success. I'm confident the time is right to bring it back," Renault vice president Steve Norman said.
Lada was assembled in the U.K. in 1992-1997, but had to withdraw from the British market as it did not comply with the country's safety and environmental standards. The new Lada model will cost about $7,500. However, the British media is skeptical about the Russian car industry, dubbing Lada "Russia's tin can on wheels" and "the byword for budget motoring from the 1980s."
