Lada is returning to Cuba, making it the first time
since the Russian automaker stopped exporting cars there in 2005. The return will be launched with an initial
shipment of 344 Vesta sedans and Largus wagons, which will be used as local
state-owned taxis, tourism and rentals.
The cars will be shipped to Cuba in the coming days
and are expected to arrive in the country in January 2018. Since Renault-Nissan
took over AvtoVAZ, which owns Lada, the plan for the Russian brand was to
increase its exports from 20,000 vehicles in 2016 to almost 200,000 vehicles by
2026.
Sales of cars in Cuba are strictly controlled by the
local government and prices remain out of reach for the vast majority of
Cubans. The car ownership rate is just 20 per 1,000 residents.
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