Russian automaker kickstarts sales in Tunisia

Official sales of Russian Lada cars have started in Tunisia. AvtoVAZ, the company that manufactures Lada vehicles, now exports its products to 30 countries.

In Tunisia, the Russian manufacturer is represented by Artes, which is the North African country’s market leader in terms of car sales. “Customers are offered a three-door Lada 4x4 Urban car… equipped with air conditioning,” AvtoVAZ said on Thursday, adding that African hunters, veterinarians, farmers, and adventurers are among the targeted market.

According to the company, the car's starting price will be 38,650 Tunisian dinars (about $16,000). That makes the Lada 4x4 Urban “the most affordable SUV on the Tunisian market.”

The opening of a Lada showroom in the capital of Tunisia was widely covered by the country’s media and social networks, and was even preceded by an advertising campaign.

A legendary vehicle, the Lada 4х4 has driven at the North Pole and Mount Everest,participated in the Paris-Dakar rally.

AvtoVAZ intends to boost its exports. It resumed sales to Cuba in January, delivering 300 Lada cars – the first shipment of Russian cars to the Latin American country in more than a decade.

The company has a stable market share in CIS countries, and also sells cars in Germany, Iran, Syria, Egypt, and Hungary. It plans expanding to the Czech Republic, Mongolia, and South-East Asia.

Last year, AvtoVAZ started exporting vehicles to the world's biggest auto market – China. It also began sales in the United Arab Emirates in a bid to win a share of the Middle East market.

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