MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has delivered a first batch of 450 Lada cars to Venezuela, said Sergei Goreslavsky, head of Russian Technologies (Rostec) high-tech state corporation's international economic cooperation department.
Russia's biggest automaker AvtoVAZ, which is part of Rostec, agreed a deal with Venezuela in April 2010 for construction of a Lada assembly plant there and delivery of 2,225 Lada cars to Caracas.
Goreslavsky said the cars will be sold to low-income Venezuelans as part of a state social aid program.
The cars, costing around $8000-$9000 each, include Lada Kalina, Lada Priora and Lada 4x4 Niva models.
During his visit to Russia in October 2010, former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez travelled around Moscow in a red Lada Priora. Chavez, who owned a Lada Niva (4x4) in the 1990s, praised Ladas for their reasonable prices and low fuel consumption.
