I’m so glad these books exist. Click through for more books and descriptions: (more…)
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…)
Volga; a marque fondly remembered by Putin, but less so by Russians old enough to know that when a black Volga was parked outside your house, it was too late to run. The famous Russian maker of luxury cars for the people, announced in 2006 that production would end in two years. They could not compete against BMW and Audi.
Volga became a symbol for both the best and worst of the USSR. (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…)
According to the St. Petersburg Times, the recession is hitting Russia’s booming car market. (more…)
Filed under: Industry
TVR's factory in Blackpool
TVR, the great British firm responsible for the Griffith, Tuscan, V12 Cebera, and thousands of speeding tickets, is now in Russian hands. In 2004, it was bought by a young Russian (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…)
