The Lada Vesta Sport, the Vesta lineup's new flagship model, entered the market late last week, with just over one million roubles (about $15,400) for the base model getting buyers a souped up engine, aggressive aerodynamic styling, improved brakes, 17-inch wheels on low-profile tires, dual mufflers and sports suspension.
The vehicle also includes all the creature comforts and other features modern car buyers have come to expect, including climate, cruise, and electronic stability control, heated driver's seat, multi-functional steering wheel, rain and light sensors, alarm system, and a decent audio system. A multimedia package including navigator, rearview camera and a heated windscreen tacks another 36,000 roubles ($550 US) onto the price.
AvtoVaz, the Tolyatti-based automotive company which builds Ladas, touts the Vesta Sport as a car with real racing technology packed in, with the vehicle featuring over two hundred new parts, many of them tested in competition, including the World Touring Car (WTC) Championship.
"We created this model as the flagship car of the Lada brand," an AvtoVaz press service spokesperson told Sputnik.
"It combines the best technologies, including those developed by the Lada Sport division. At the same time, it remains very comfortable and safe. The Vesta Sport uses the experience gained by Lada Sport in tuning sports cars, particularly in the area of engine tuning, electronic security systems, brake systems, suspension, and ergonomics," the spokesperson added.
AvtoVaz says it sees cars like the Volkswagen Polo GT, the Skoda Rapid Style, the Hyundai Solaris Elegance and the KIA Rio Premium Prestige as its domestic competitors. The company has not made clear if or when the Vesta Sport will be made available in foreign markets.
The Lada Vesta Sport joins a growing family of Vesta sedans, station wagons and crossovers introduced since 2015, including the base sedan, the Vesta Cross, Vesta SW, Vesta SW Cross, and Vesta CNG. AvtoVaz is also working on the Vesta EV, an electric car with a 60kW motor and a battery capacity of 25 kilowatt-hours.