From the seventies to nineties, cars that roamed Singapore roads were largely imported from countries such as Australia (Holden), Czechoslovakia (Skoda), France (Citroen, Peugeot, Renault), Germany (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Opel, Volkswagen), Italy (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati), Malaysia (Proton), Romania (Aro, Dacia), South Korea (Hyundai), Spain (Seat), Sweden (Volvo, Saab) and USA (Ford).

Japanese cars were the most popular among the local drivers, with the Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Suzuki, Subaru, Isuzu, Daihatsu and Mitsubishi cars a common sight on Singapore roads.

Soviet-Made Cars

Soviet-made cars were almost unheard of in Singapore until the late seventies, when the Soviet Union’s trade with the ASEAN countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines) rose tremendously. Almost $938 million of trade were recorded in the first nine months of 1977, a 47% jump compared to the previous year.

Cars soon became one of the Soviet Union’s exports to Singapore. Contacts were established between Avtoexport, the former Soviet Union organisation responsible for exporting Soviet vehicles, and local agents such as Lada Motors Pte Ltd and Eurocars Pte Ltd. In 1977, Lada and Volga cars landed on Singapore Roads, with the latter being converted and used as the yellow-top taxis.

Volga Taxis

The Volga taxis were dubbed as rugged, economical and comfortable mode of transport that were fully air-conditioned and had computerised fare meters. Costing about $17,500, it was cheaper by a range of $1,500 to $6,500 as compared to other cars of similar engine size. Local taxi driver Ng Chin Hock became the first owner of a Volga taxi in Singapore in 1977.

Lada 1200

The first Lada cars, known as Lada 1200 of model VAZ 2101, also arrived at Singapore in 1977. With its appearance highly resembling Fiat 124Sn, the Lada 1200 was the Russian version of the 124Sn. After the Soviet Union bought the Fiat manufacturing plant in the sixties, the Fiat 124Sn model was discontinued.

Soviet Union then built a new manufacturing plant at Togliatti (formerly known as Stavropol) in 1967 at a cost of £400 million (or $1.7 billion in Singapore dollars at that time). Complete with computerised equipment, the manufacturing plant, known as Volzhsky Plant, was able to produce 660,000 cars a year. The VAZ model was referenced to the plant, standing for Volzhsky avtomobilny zavod (or Volga Automotive Plant in English).

Lada 1200 was mechanically different from Fiat 124Sn. It was fitted with a Soviet-made 1,198cc single overhead camshaft engine producing 60 horsepower, and had improvements such as a hydraulically assisted clutch pedal, dual circuit hydraulic brakes and enhanced transmission. The car was retailed in Singapore for $12,400 without PARF (Preferential Additional Registration Fee) and $15,900 with PARF.

Due to poor sales, Lada Motors Pte Ltd gave up its distribution rights of Lada cars in 1981. It was not until the late eighties when Lada cars attempted to penetrate the Singapore market again.

Lada Samara

In 1989, Intraco Ltd, the listed government-linked trading company, ventured into the local automotive industry by setting up Samara Motors to collaborate with Togliatti Cars (Asia) Pte Ltd to distribute Lada cars in Singapore. The models they brought in included the 1,300cc Lada Samara and 1,600cc Lada Niva. They were retailed at a range of $30,000 to $40,000 with PARF. Other cars of similar price range were Skoda Rapid ($29,990), Subaru Viki ($31,000) and Proton Saga ($39,900).

The eighties and nineties saw leaps and bounds in the designs and performances of many car brands and models. The Lada cars, however, were getting outdated in their designs and a lack of power steering. They were also plagued by quality and reliability issues such as jammed doors and overheating engines.

There were even car jokes about Lada in the nineties. For examples:

• How do you double a Lada’s value? – fill up its tank
• What do you call a Lada with twin exhausts? – A wheelbarrow

When the Soviet Union disintegrated in December 1991, the Volzhsky Plant struggled for survival. In the mid-nineties, Russian criminal organisations moved in to control the plant’s car sales, spare parts and workers, badly affecting its reputation and quality assurance. Today, the manufacturing plant is part of Russia’s state-owned enterprises. It continues to produce Lada cars, but Russian cars are no longer found on the Singapore roads.

Trivia – Rarest Car Brands in Singapore

According to the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) Annual Vehicle Statistics 2024, as of today, the rarest registered car brands in Singapore are:

• Alvis (Britain)
• Armstrong Siddeley (Britain)
• Austin (Britain)
• BSA (Britain)
• Bertone (Italy)
• Binz (Germany)
• Buick (USA)
• Caterham (Britain)
• Chalmers (USA)
• DeLorean (USA)
• Dodge (USA)
• Essex (USA)
• Frazer (USA)
• Geely (China)
• Hafei (China)
• Hillman (Britain)
• Holden (Australia)
• International (USA)
• Jensen (Britain)
• Koenigsegg (Sweden)
• Lagonda (Britain)
• Lea-Francis (Britain)
• Leyland (Britain)
• Lincoln (USA)
• Marcos (Britain)
• Maxwell (USA)
• Maybach (Germany)
• Mercury (USA)
• Neta (China)
• Noble (Britain)
• Pagani (Italy)
• Panther (Britain)
• Pontiac (USA)
• Rambler (USA)
• Riley (Britain)
• Ruf (Germany)
• Rugby (USA)
• Standard (Britain)
• Stutz (USA)
• Talbot (Britain/France)
• Valiant (Australia)
• Velorex (Czechoslovakia)
• Wolseley (Britain)
• Wuling (China)
• Zotye (China)

There are currently not more than five cars in Singapore for each of these car brands. The majority of them are vintage cars of several decades old. The rest are luxurious supercars or new imports from China.

Published: 30 October 2025