Zhiguli ( rus, Жигули, p=ʐɨɡʊˈlʲi) was a designation of cars based on the

Fiat 124 The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and was the basis for several variants including a station wagon, a four-seater coupé ( 124 Sport Co ...

manufactured in Russia and the Soviet Union by

AvtoVAZ AvtoVAZ ( rus, АвтоВАЗ, p=ɐftoˈvas) is a Russian automobile manufacturing company owned by the state. It was formerly named as VAZ ( rus, ВАЗ), an acronym for Volga Automotive Plant in Russian (russian: Во́лжский автомо� ...

(formerly VAZ) during 1970-2012 and somewhat longer in some places abroad. For the majority of export markets however the cars were sold under the Lada brand. The car was also manufactured in Ukraine and in Egypt. In Egypt the last car of this model was manufactured in 2014.Lada возвращается в Египет
/ref> The designation is named after the

Zhiguli Mountains The Zhiguli Mountains ( rus, Жигулëвские горы) or simply Zhiguli ( rus, Жигули́, p=ʐɨɡʊˈlʲi), are a range of wooded mountains located in Russia on the right bank of the Volga River, inside the Samara bend. The mounta ...

by the

Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...

, to match the name of the plant ('VAZ' stands for "Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod" or "Volga Automobile Plant"). There have been 7 models of this designation: VAZ-2101,

VAZ-2102 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 ( 21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is l ...

, VAZ-2103,

VAZ-2104 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what ...

VAZ-2105 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 ( 21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is l ...

, VAZ-2106, VAZ-2107, with modifications indicated by an extra digit, see

List of AvtoVAZ vehicles This is a list of vehicles designed or produced by AvtoVAZ, a Russian carmaker best known under its Lada brand. Current models * Lada 4x4 (Lada Niva/VAZ-2121) - off-road vehicle **Lada 4x4 3-door **Lada 4x4 5-door **Lada Niva Urban 4x4 3-do ...

. The longest-living model was VAZ-2105 (1979-2010). After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a shortage of used cars meant that many export Zhigulis badged as Ladas were re-imported back from the West and hence the Lada brand became well known in Russia and the former Soviet states. The designation name was officially abandoned by the plant in the mid-1990s as Zhiguli was similar to the word

gigolo A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call. The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifes ...

(), so AvtoVAZ now uses the Lada brand universally in all markets.

References

{{reflist VAZ vehicles Car brands Soviet automobiles