Vladimir Putin test drove the Lada car, which promises to be Russia’s ticket back into the automobile industry. What’s more, it’s a green car. Throughout the last week, Putin was filmed driving the Lada Vestra, the latest in Russian cars, around the city of Sochi.
The car is rolling out of carmaker AvtoVAZ, powered by a 106hp 1.6-liter Lada engine. It’s pricing lies between $7,000 to $9,000, and it is hoped that this will bring Lada back to the automobile industry spotlight. The Russian automobile industry took a serious hit after heavy sanctions were placed on the country by the West.
Putin comments that he believes the car will sell well because it ‘drives smoothly’, and that hopefully the small family sedan will bring some income on the side of automobiles. The car takes fuel or natural gas, and with the amount of investment the government has put into it, the country hopes that AvtoVAZ can once again bring the people’s cars to Russia.
In an oddly uncharacteristic move, Putin has taken to advertising the Lada car himself, which just goes to show that he endorses the project and that he hopes that the Russian people will follow along. The Lada Vesta is already for sale.
