The Sanction-Proof Car

“What do you call a Lada with brakes?”

“Customised”

The future is here, and for Russia, that means a butt ton of sanctions that makes importing anything almost impossible. Enter the sanction proof car from Lada, with almost none of the modcons or safety features you’ve come to expect from modern vehicles.

Russia has been under a lot of pressure recently due to being the neighbours from hell, which has copped them sanctions left, right and centre. Car parts have become all but impossible to source there at the moment, with second hand dealers, scrappies and parallel importers charging outrageous premiums for parts left available. The industry as a whole has essentially collapsed, making only 3,700 cars in May, 97% fewer than the same month last year.

Lada has made do with what they have, and what they have isn’t much.They have made what they are touting the cheapest car on the Russian market at the moment, only using materials available in Russia and its allies. Called the 2022 LADA Granta, it retails for 678 300 ₽ (NZ$19,000). What’s remarkable is the number of features it’s left off the docket to work under its tight restrictions. It’s got no anti-lock braking system, modern seatbelts, satellite navigation, or airbags, to name just a few. Local car journos in Russia reckon that this little car will only meet European pollution standards from 1996.

Putin insists that they have been unaffected by sanctions and that the rest of the world is hurting more.