When Soviet-Made Cars Roamed Singapore Roads
18 days ago
- #Soviet vehicles
- #rare car brands
- #Singapore cars
- From the 1970s to 1990s, Singapore roads featured cars imported from various countries, including Australia, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the USA.
- Japanese cars like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan were the most popular in Singapore during this period.
- Soviet-made cars, such as Lada and Volga, entered Singapore in the late 1970s due to increased trade between the Soviet Union and ASEAN countries.
- Volga cars were converted into taxis, known for being rugged, economical, and comfortable, with features like air-conditioning and computerized fare meters.
- The Lada 1200, a Soviet adaptation of the Fiat 124Sn, arrived in Singapore in 1977 but faced poor sales, leading to the discontinuation of its distribution in 1981.
- In the late 1980s, Lada attempted a comeback with models like the Samara and Niva, but outdated designs and reliability issues hindered their success.
- The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 affected the Volzhsky Plant, and by the mid-1990s, Russian cars disappeared from Singapore roads.
- The rarest car brands in Singapore today include vintage and luxury models from Britain, Italy, Germany, the USA, and China, with fewer than five cars per brand registered.