Lada Riva
Encyclopedia
The VAZ-2105, VAZ-2104 and VAZ-2107 (collectively known as the Lada Riva in most Western European markets) are a series of medium-sized family cars built by Russia
n car manufacturer AvtoVAZ
, introduced in 1980 in the Soviet Union
, and progressively in other European markets through the early 1980s and sold in both saloon and estate
versions. Today they are generally referred to as the Lada Classic series, being derived from the original Fiat 124
platform which has been the now-iconic mainstay of the AvtoVAZ lineup since the company's foundation in the late 1960s.
type VAZ-2101
"Zhiguli" saloon, which was introduced in 1970. The Riva itself is officially designated – and known in the home market – as VAZ-2105 (base saloon), VAZ-2104 (estate), and VAZ-2107 (deluxe saloon identified by large chrome grille). Other names sometimes used include Pyatyorka ("the five"), Chetvyorka ("the four") and Semyorka ("the seven"). In Russia, VAZ-2105, VAZ-2104 and VAZ-2107 are considered to be different cars rather than variants but nonetheless all of them are part of a single "Klassika" ("Classic") family along with older models such as the VAZ-2101.
Mechanically, the car is virtually identical to the first-generation VAZ-2101 model, featuring the Fiat-derived manual transmission
s, coil spring
suspension all round and aluminum drum brakes on the rear wheels. The smaller-engined variant, the 1300 cc version (VAZ-2105) had a major four-cylinder engine
revamp compared to the original VAZ-2101 (Lada 1200). The old OHC-engine had its valves actuated by chain, while the new one was modified to having a toothed belt-drive. Nonetheless, the Riva's larger-engined version (VAZ-2107) carried on with the old 1500 cc, chain-driven OHC engine coming over from the original Lada 1500 (VAZ-2103) of 1973. Another change was done to the engine in the 1992, when single point fuel injection
and catalytic converter
s were specified in an attempt to keep up with emissions legislation.
Tightening safety and emissions legislation led to the Riva being withdrawn from most Western European markets by 1997, although it is still in production at the AvtoVAZ factory in the Russian Federation and is now sold as the Lada Classic. In 2005, production of the estate model was taken over by Izh, before assembly was transferred to the Bogdan Group's
LuAZ
plant. The 2107 model is still in production, not only at AutoVAZ but also at the ZAZ
factory in Ukraine
, and at Suzuki
's factory in Egypt
. It is anticipated that Russian production of both the 2105 and 2107 will have been completely moved to Izh by the middle of 2011.
In the UK the Lada Riva was one of the most popular low-budget cars on the market. Its spartan interiors, dated styling and outdated mechanics meant that it was never actually aimed at buyers of market leaders' similar-sized products, such as the Ford Sierra
, Vauxhall Cavalier
and Austin Montego
. The Riva was still selling well in Britain and many other western markets in the early 1990s, but the next few years saw a raft of new models come from budget competitors such as Daewoo
, Hyundai
, Kia
and Proton, pushing Lada sales into terminal decline. This, combined with the much-needed investment to adapt cars to stricter European Union
emissions requirements not being available, resulted in the decision to withdraw Lada from the UK, Canada
,(and other European Markets) on 4 July 1997.
, this version was made by Finnish Lada importer.
, the Amal Foreign Trade Company and Lada's parent company AvtoVAZ signed a joint venture agreement to assemble Ladas for the North Africa
n market in 2000. However, as they did not have their own factory, space was found at a local Suzuki
plant in Cairo
to assemble the 2107 version of the Riva. As of 2006, production continued at Suzuki
with an additional model, the 2110
, being produced. Plans are under-way for a separate factory to open in Egypt later this year for Lada production.
nations where buyers value ruggedness, simplicity and durability over style. As recently as April 2011, it was reported that Russian sales of the 2105 and 2107 series showed an increase of 140% on a total of 28,633 in the first quarter of the year. However, production of the 2105 ceased at AvtoVAZ's Togliatti plant at the end of 2010 after a 30-year production run and nearly 3,000,000 units, with production being fully subcontracted to the IzhAvto plant near Izhevsk
in a strategic alliance with AvtoVAZ.
The 2107 is also expected to transition to the IzhAvto plant by the middle of 2011, (rumoured to be in preparation for the launch of the Lada 2116
), thus marking the end of production of the original Fiat 124 derived models at Togliatti after a 41-year production run and over 14 million units.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n car manufacturer AvtoVAZ
AvtoVAZ
AvtoVAZ is the Russian automobile manufacturer formerly known as VAZ: Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod , but better known to the world under the trade name Lada. The company was established in the late 1960s in collaboration with Fiat...
, introduced in 1980 in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and progressively in other European markets through the early 1980s and sold in both saloon and estate
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
versions. Today they are generally referred to as the Lada Classic series, being derived from the original Fiat 124
Fiat 124
The Fiat 124 is a mid-sized family car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1966 and 1974. It was the replacement of the Fiat 1300 and Fiat 1500...
platform which has been the now-iconic mainstay of the AvtoVAZ lineup since the company's foundation in the late 1960s.
History
Although introduced in the early 1981 the Riva's origins are older: it is a restyled version of the original LadaLada
Lada is a trademark of AvtoVAZ, a Russian car manufacturer in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. All AvtoVAZ vehicles are currently sold under the Lada brand, though this was not always so; Lada was originally AvtoVAZ's export brand for models it sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market...
type VAZ-2101
VAZ-2101
The VAZ-2101 is a compact car, sedan, produced by VAZ and introduced in 1970. VAZ had been founded in the mid-1960s as a collaboration between Fiat and the Soviet government, and the 2101 was its first product...
"Zhiguli" saloon, which was introduced in 1970. The Riva itself is officially designated – and known in the home market – as VAZ-2105 (base saloon), VAZ-2104 (estate), and VAZ-2107 (deluxe saloon identified by large chrome grille). Other names sometimes used include Pyatyorka ("the five"), Chetvyorka ("the four") and Semyorka ("the seven"). In Russia, VAZ-2105, VAZ-2104 and VAZ-2107 are considered to be different cars rather than variants but nonetheless all of them are part of a single "Klassika" ("Classic") family along with older models such as the VAZ-2101.
Mechanically, the car is virtually identical to the first-generation VAZ-2101 model, featuring the Fiat-derived manual transmission
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
s, coil spring
Coil spring
A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces...
suspension all round and aluminum drum brakes on the rear wheels. The smaller-engined variant, the 1300 cc version (VAZ-2105) had a major four-cylinder engine
Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
revamp compared to the original VAZ-2101 (Lada 1200). The old OHC-engine had its valves actuated by chain, while the new one was modified to having a toothed belt-drive. Nonetheless, the Riva's larger-engined version (VAZ-2107) carried on with the old 1500 cc, chain-driven OHC engine coming over from the original Lada 1500 (VAZ-2103) of 1973. Another change was done to the engine in the 1992, when single point fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
and catalytic converter
Catalytic converter
A catalytic converter is a device used to convert toxic exhaust emissions from an internal combustion engine into non-toxic substances. Inside a catalytic converter, a catalyst stimulates a chemical reaction in which noxious byproducts of combustion are converted to less toxic substances by dint...
s were specified in an attempt to keep up with emissions legislation.
Tightening safety and emissions legislation led to the Riva being withdrawn from most Western European markets by 1997, although it is still in production at the AvtoVAZ factory in the Russian Federation and is now sold as the Lada Classic. In 2005, production of the estate model was taken over by Izh, before assembly was transferred to the Bogdan Group's
Bogdan group
Bogdan Corporation or Bohdan Corporation is an Ukrainian automobile-manufacturing group including several car- and bus-makers of the country...
LuAZ
LuAZ
LuAZ is a Ukrainian automobile manufacturer located in the city of Lutsk.-History:The original product of this relatively small plant is the "LuAZ"-branded off-road vehicle, sturdy and simple, but outdated...
plant. The 2107 model is still in production, not only at AutoVAZ but also at the ZAZ
ZAZ
ZAZ or Zaporizhia Automobile Building Plant is the main automobile-manufacturer of Ukraine, based in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhia. It is also known for its former mother company name, AvtoZAZ...
factory in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and at Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
's factory in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. It is anticipated that Russian production of both the 2105 and 2107 will have been completely moved to Izh by the middle of 2011.
In the UK the Lada Riva was one of the most popular low-budget cars on the market. Its spartan interiors, dated styling and outdated mechanics meant that it was never actually aimed at buyers of market leaders' similar-sized products, such as the Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
, Vauxhall Cavalier
Vauxhall Cavalier
The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall Motors, the British division of General Motors , from 1975 to 1995...
and Austin Montego
Austin Montego
The Austin Montego is a British mid-size saloon car that was produced by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland , and its successors, from 1984 until 1994. The Montego was the replacement for the Morris Ital, to give British Leyland a modern competitor for the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall...
. The Riva was still selling well in Britain and many other western markets in the early 1990s, but the next few years saw a raft of new models come from budget competitors such as Daewoo
Daewoo
Daewoo or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol . It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999...
, Hyundai
Hyundai
Hyundai ) is a global conglomerate company, part of the Korean chaebol, that was founded in South Korea by one of the most famous businessmen in Korean history: Chung Ju-yung...
, Kia
Kia Motors
Kia Motors , headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010...
and Proton, pushing Lada sales into terminal decline. This, combined with the much-needed investment to adapt cars to stricter European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
emissions requirements not being available, resulted in the decision to withdraw Lada from the UK, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,(and other European Markets) on 4 July 1997.
Other variations
Model variants included the Riva Signet, Riva 1200, Riva 1300, Riva 1500, and Riva 1600, with trim levels "E" and "L". A Turbo charged model Lada 2107 Turbo was sold in FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, this version was made by Finnish Lada importer.
Production at Suzuki Egypt
In EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the Amal Foreign Trade Company and Lada's parent company AvtoVAZ signed a joint venture agreement to assemble Ladas for the North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n market in 2000. However, as they did not have their own factory, space was found at a local Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
plant in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
to assemble the 2107 version of the Riva. As of 2006, production continued at Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
with an additional model, the 2110
Lada 110
The Lada 110 is a Russian sedan car built by AvtoVAZ since 1995. It also spawned two close derivatives - the 111 estate and 112 hatchback...
, being produced. Plans are under-way for a separate factory to open in Egypt later this year for Lada production.
Future
Sales of the Lada Classics remain strong in the car's native Russia and the former Eastern BlocEastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
nations where buyers value ruggedness, simplicity and durability over style. As recently as April 2011, it was reported that Russian sales of the 2105 and 2107 series showed an increase of 140% on a total of 28,633 in the first quarter of the year. However, production of the 2105 ceased at AvtoVAZ's Togliatti plant at the end of 2010 after a 30-year production run and nearly 3,000,000 units, with production being fully subcontracted to the IzhAvto plant near Izhevsk
Izhevsk
Izhevsk is the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, situated on the Izh River in the Western Urals. Population: From 1984 to 1987 Izhevsk carried the name Ustinov |Minister of Defense of the USSR]], Marshal of the Soviet Union, Dmitry Ustinov). The city is an important industrial center,...
in a strategic alliance with AvtoVAZ.
The 2107 is also expected to transition to the IzhAvto plant by the middle of 2011, (rumoured to be in preparation for the launch of the Lada 2116
Lada 2116
This article refers to an AvtoVAZ vehicle under development, on which information in English is limited. The Russian Wikipedia article on the VAZ-2116 series can be found here: :ru:%D0%92%D0%90%D0%97-2116...
), thus marking the end of production of the original Fiat 124 derived models at Togliatti after a 41-year production run and over 14 million units.