The Fascinating History of Lada 🚗: From Zhiguli to Iconic Soviet Car

The most famous Soviet-made car brand, Lada, was actually first named Zhiguli — but that changed because it sounded too much like the word “gigolo.”

When the authorities wanted to export the car to Europe, they realized “Zhiguli” might not be great for marketing.
So they rebranded the car as Lada, but only on the export versions.

Though after the collapse of the Soviet Union, all cars produced at the factory were branded as Lada — both for export and domestic use.

Today, some people who lived through the Soviet days still call their Ladas “Zhiguli” —
and some of them even still drive actual Zhigulis.