Lada stops 2107 production after 30 years [Update]

The 2107 has been a common sight on Russian roads since 1982.

For several decades, the Lada 2107 has been a very common sight on Russian roads. The car's low price means that is accessible to just about everyone. It is a people's car, similar in spirit to what the original Volkswagen Beetle was in Germany and the Citroën 2CV was in France.

In 2011, Lada sold almost 17,000 2107s a month, a figure which can largely be attributed to a government-sponsored cash for clunkers program.

The program ended late last year, and 2107 sales have consequently taken a heavy hit. From January to March of 2012, the company sold 71 percent less of them than it did in the same time period last year.

The drop in sales has prompted the automaker to stop 2107 production altogether. The last example came off of the assembly line yesterday.

"Everything is going according to plan. The demand for "classics" has fallen dramatically. It's time to say goodbye," said Igor Burenkov, the public relations director of AvtoVAZ.

The move is hardly a surprise. In late 2011, Lada indicated that it would cut 2107 production by about 21 percent in early 2012 in order to allocate some of its production capacity to other models such as the Kalina, the Priora, and the Granta.

Customers are increasingly trading in their 2107s in favor of these models. They retail for slightly more, but they are relatively modern.

That can't be said about the 2107. The car came out in 1982 as an evolution of the 2105, which was a direct descendant of the boxy Fiat 124 sedan of the mid-1960s.

Those who are after a Lada from the Cold War era still have the option of buying a Niva. The three-door off-roader was introduced in 1976, and it is still sold new in many countries around the world today.