Lada Kopeyka

The **Lada Kopeyka** or as it formely called the **VAZ Zhiguli** is a vehicle that was produced by the AVTOVaz plant from 1970 to 2012, production in Egypt continiued until 2015. Over 19 million units of the vehicle were built and it is the most produced vehicle after the Volkswagen Beetle and the Ford Model T vehicles.

## Lada Kopeyka

### Successor

VAZ-2103
VAZ-2106
VAZ-2107

In 1968 the Soviet government made a deal with Fiat to produce the Fiat 124 in the country, Fiat agreed and several of these vehicle were exported to the Soviet Union to be tested, however, they were proved to be too unreliable and not suitable for Russia's conditions, however they agreed to produce it but with heavy and several modifications, it was decided to produce it as the **VAZ-2101**.

The vehicle was made to be available to the public, although it was slightly expensive. Nevertheless, it was very popular and by 1975 over 200,000 had been built. The vehicle was nicknamed *Kopeyka* after the smallet Ruble. The vehicle was forbidden to be sold in Italy since the original Fiat 124 was sold there. A more luxury variant called the VAZ-2103 started getting produced in 1972, and it was also very popular since it was widely available to the public, since the more luxurious GAZ Volga, Chaika and ZiL limousines were mostly available to rich or important people.

The VAZ-2101 stopped getting produced in 1988, with over 5 million units being built by that time and it is still a common sight in Russia and in other former Eastern Bloc countries even as of today.

The vehicle became a legend in many parts of Eastern Europe, along with the Dacia 1300 and the Trabant vehicles.

### Versions

* VAZ-2102: station wagon version
* VAZ-2103: more luxurious variant
* VAZ-21015: version for the KGB
* VAZ-5891: version with the engine of the GAZ-24
* VAZ-100005: version with the door handles of the VAZ-2107

### Gallery

A 1979 Lada Kopeyka In Russia.A 1985 Lada Kopeyka In Ukraine.A 1975 Lada Kopeyka In Belarus.A 1988 Lada Kopeyka In Hungary.

## Lada Kopeyka

### Successor

VAZ-2106
VAZ-2107

The **VAZ-2103** started getting produced in 1972 as a more luxurious version of the original VAZ-2101, although it can also be as a successor to the original vehicle. The VAZ-2103 is based on the Fiat 124 Special which in turn is a more refined version of the original Fiat 124 vehicle. The VAZ-2103's engine was later used in the Lada Niva. Around 1 million units of that version were built until production ended.

### Versions

* VAZ-21035: version with the door handles of the GAZ-24

### Gallery

A VAZ-2103 In Ukraine.A VAZ-2103 In Russia.A VAZ-2103 In Krakow.A VAZ-2103 In Cuba.

## Lada Kopeyka

### Predecessor

VAZ-2101
VAZ-2103

### Successor

VAZ-2107

The third generation of the *Kopeyka* started getting produced in 1977 as a replacement for the VAZ-2103, however both the VAZ-2101 and VAZ-2103 were produced together with the VAZ-2106 until 1988, when both of them were discontiniued. In 1980 the company started producing the VAZ-2107 as a replacement for the VAZ-2101 vehicle. The VAZ-2106 was more luxurious than the VAZ-2103 and had a better engine, which made it more reliable and dependable. The production of the VAZ-2106 continiued even after the fall of the Soviet Union, and ended in 2007.

### Gallery

A VAZ-2106 In Russia.A Hot-Rodded VAZ-2106 Vehicle.A VAZ-2106 In Russia.A VAZ-2106 In Belarus.

## Lada Kopeyka

### Production

1979-2012
2003-2015 (Egypt)

### Predecessor

VAZ-2101
VAZ-2103
VAZ-2106

### Successor

Lada Kopeyka II
Lada 110

The fourth generation of the *Kopeyka* started getting produced in 1979 as a replaement for both the VAZ-2101, the VAZ-2103 and the VAZ-2106 although production of these vehicles overlapped by several years. By 1989 the only Lada vehicles sold were the VAZ-2106 and the VAZ-2107, all of these vehicles were exported under the name *Lada* however the *VAZ* name was kept in the Soviet Union.

In 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved but production of both the VAZ-2106 and VAZ-2107 continiued but now both under the *Lada* name, in 2003 the vehicle also started getting produced in Egypt in a Suzuki factory. In 1995 the Russian company had started producing the newer Lada 110, however the production of the older VAZ-2106 and VAZ-2107 vehicles continiued. In 2007 the VAZ-2106 stopped getting produced but the VAZ-2107 continiued to get produced until 2012 when it was finally discontiniued in most parts of the world, however production continiued in Egypt until 2015.

### Gallery

A VAZ-2107 In A Car Show.A Lada 1300/2107 In England.A Lada 2017 In France.A VAZ 2107 In Russia.

## Lada Kopeyka

### Successor

Lada Vesta

In 2012 the Lada Kopeyka was eventually discontiniued from most parts of the world, except Egypt where production continiued until 2015. AVTOVaz wanted to re-start the production of the Kopeyka in Russia, despite being very outdated by that time. In 2014 a prototype called the *Kopeyka II* was built with a more modernized and efficient engine, however, by that time the company was owned by Renault who did not want to produce an outdated vehicle, but nevertheless another prototype was built in 2019 for testing.