The beginning of 2026 has become a real test for the Russian automotive industry, as the symbolic leader AvtoVAZ found itself in the epicenter of a perfect storm. The statistics are inexorable: in the last 20 years, the company has not registered such a weak start. Even desperate attempts to adjust the pricing policy failed to stop the free fall of market share.
Data from the “Avtostat“ agency paint a gloomy picture for January - registrations of new Lada models have collapsed by nearly 29% on an annual basis, reaching a modest 19,700 units. February also did not bring the much-awaited breath of fresh air, which forced management to scale back its ambitions and reduce the monthly sales plan by 15% to just 20,000 cars.
In an attempt to revive interest in its more expensive offerings, the manufacturer resorted to significant discounts at the end of last year. Thus, the flagship Lada Aura is now available 14% cheaper at a price of 2.25 million rubles (about 29,220 euros), and the practical Lada Largus has seen a 3.8% adjustment, reaching 1.59 million rubles (approximately 20,650 euros).
Paradoxically, against the backdrop of the general decline, the most sought-after popular models have become more expensive, which has further strained consumers' thin budgets. The best-selling Lada Granta now starts at 850,000 rubles (11,040 euros) after a 1.9% increase. The new hope Lada Iskra added 1.8% to its price and is sold for 1.28 million rubles (16,620 euros). Off-road veterans are not far behind either - the Niva Legend now costs 1.1 million rubles (14,285 euros), and the more comfortable Niva Travel has reached 1.42 million rubles (18,440 euros).
Despite the difficult situation, Togliatti is still looking with timid hope at the second half of the year. The plan is at least to stabilize the market and try to reach last year's levels, although at the moment the recovery looks more like wishful thinking than a realistic forecast.