Ethiopia and Russian automaker Lada are collaborating on initiatives to establish a manufacturing facility within the country, as stated by Moscow's ambassador to Addis Ababa, Evgeny Terekhin, in an interview with RIA Novosti on Monday.

The ambassador highlighted that Lada has already made inroads into the East African market and has garnered a reputation for reliability. This positions Ethiopia as a promising destination for establishing an assembly plant.

“The domestic Lada is well known in Ethiopia and still makes up a significant share of the local taxi services. Their deliveries began in the 1970s,” Terekhin stated. 

The ambassador mentioned that Addis Ababa possesses "adequate experience in collaborating with international partners" and indicated that talks are ongoing regarding potential Lada assembly facilities.

AvtoVAZ producing vehicles to preferences of African buyers

In December, local media reported that the Ethio-Engineering Group (EEG) and the Russian automaker Avtovaz had reached an agreement to manufacture Lada vehicles in the African nation.

Earlier in 2022, Avtovaz CEO Maxim Sokolov stated that the company considered developing special modifications of its vehicles tailored to the preferences of African buyers. This may include customized versions of the Lada Niva.

Back in December 2022, the old Nissan auto plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was taken over by Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ and will start producing three new Lada models when it is reopened, according to Maxim Sokolov, the company's CEO.

Sokolov had stated that the Nissan facility in Saint Petersburg will start producing Lada vehicles in the second half of 2023, adding that "It will depend on how many carmakers we will bring to the Nissan plant in Saint Petersburg, but at least three models [will be produced]."