Lada in the context of Renault

Tolyatti or Togliatti, known before 1964 as Stavropol, is a city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which is neither the administrative center of a federal subject, nor the largest city of a subject. Population: 684,709 (2021 census); 719,632 (2010 census); 702,879 (2002 census); 630,543 (1989 Soviet census).

The city is best known as the home of Russia's largest car manufacturer AvtoVAZ (Lada). For this reason, Tolyatti is often dubbed "Russia's motor city" or "Russia's Motown" (in reference to Detroit in the United States—the spiritual home of the American automotive industry). It was renamed after Italian communist politician Palmiro Togliatti in 1964, upon his death in the Soviet Union.

Recirculating ball, also known as recirculating ball and nut or worm and sector, is a ball screw steering mechanism commonly found in older automobiles, off-road vehicles, and some trucks. Most newer cars use the more economical rack and pinion steering instead, but some upmarket manufacturers (such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz) held on to the design until well into the 1990s for the durability and strength inherent in the design. A few, including Chrysler, General Motors, Lada and Ineos, still use this technology in certain models including the Jeep Wrangler, the Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster and the Lada Niva.

AvtoVAZ (Russian: АвтоВАЗ, IPA: [ɐftɐˈvas]) is a Russian automobile manufacturing company owned by the state. It was formerly named as VAZ (ВАЗ), an acronym for Volga Automotive Plant in Russian (Во́лжский автомоби́льный заво́д, Volzhskiy avtomobil'nyy zavod). AvtoVAZ is best known for its flagship series of Lada vehicles. In the Soviet Union, its products used various names, including Zhiguli, Oka, and Sputnik, which were phased out in the 1990s and replaced by Lada for the Russian market. From December 2019 to August 2020, AvtoVAZ sold Niva cars with Chevrolet branding.

AvtoVAZ was established in 1966 by the Soviet government as a state-run car manufacturer. It was privatized in the 1990s and was a subsidiary of Renault from October 2016 to May 2022. In May 2022, it was re-acquired by the Russian government. The company is indirectly owned by Russian state enterprises through Lada Auto Holding.

The Lada Niva Legend, formerly called the Lada Niva, VAZ-2121, VAZ-2131, and Lada 4×4 (Russian: ВАЗ-2121, ВАЗ-2131, Лада Нива), is a series of four-wheel drive, small (hatchback), and compact (wagon and pickup) off-road cars designed and produced by AvtoVAZ since 1977. Initially aimed at the rural market, later models also targeted urban users. The three- and later five-door 4×4 hatchbacks were sold under the Lada marque in many markets, and have been in continuous production since 1977.

In the 1990s, three- and five-door wagons on a 50 cm (20 in) longer wheelbase and an extra-long wheelbase pick-up were added to the range. After the original Land Rover and its successor, the Land Rover Defender, were discontinued in 2016, the Niva became the longest-production-run off-road light vehicle still manufactured in its original form. By the end of 2020, an estimated 650,000 Lada Nivas had been sold globally.