Ok, Porf. Leving, this one’s for you:
Analysis:
Everyone judges people based on what car they drive. It’s nothing personal, it’s just a habit; no different from judging people based on the way they talk, or what clothes they wear. The guy with the convertible Lamborghini who’s always parked outside Starbucks: douchebag. Young guy with the shiny new black VW: yuppie. Middle aged guy in a Porsche: middle-aged crisis in a Porsche. But it’s more than just stereotypes. (more…)
Headline says it all really. Russia Today wrote back in July that, “Despite having more oil than almost anybody else, Russians still have to dig deep when paying for fuel at the pumps. In Soviet times, owning a car was a luxury few could afford. Today, it’s not unusual for a family to have two. But the high price of petrol is once again turning the motorcar into a luxury – and not just in Russia.”
[source]
Bentley / Lambo showroom in Moscow
The great influx of british luxury cars to Russia has driven the venerable ZIL automaker into a ditch, according to a recent report by the Guardian newspaper,
Land Rover sold more than 12,000 vehicles in Russia last year. In the first quarter of 2008, the total has reached 4,690 vehicles and the company expects Russia will (more…)
“If you run out of petrol, just use lighter fluid” -ZAZ. Also, old stuff seems to be cool. Car companies are using Soviet nostalgia to sell new cars?! How many levels of irony is that? (more…)
According to the St. Petersburg Times, the recession is hitting Russia’s booming car market. (more…)
It sucks to crash your Ferrari. This type of thing is becoming an increasingly common sight in Russia. Fifteen years ago, this would have been a VAZ or a Trabant.
Even more symbolic: A Bently stuck in a field (more…)
Russian made cars aren’t as cheap as they used to be in Soviet days, or even as cheap as they were a few years ago.
Not long ago a basic Zhiguli cost only £2,000. But prices have leapt by 50% in recent years, in tune with soaring energy and labour costs. [. . . .] Since the break-up of the USSR, however, many aspiring Russians have preferred to snap up more dependable – and slicker – Western cars such as BMWs and Audis. Only last month, Ferrari announced it was seeking an official distributor in the country.
Is this the end of the road for Russian Cars? (more…)
