People Are Buying Lada Niva Travel SUVs In Japan For $31k

Everyone knows that the Lada Niva is quite popular in Russia, and we are not only talking about the good-old Niva Legend but also for the more modern Niva Travel. What you probably didn’t know though is that people from Japan are importing Lada Niva Travel SUVs in the country, paying a cool $31,286 in the process.

As you would expect, Japanese buyers are into well-equipped variants, so the ¥3,480,000 ($31,286) asking price gets them the Lada Niva Travel Luxe Offroad. This is a massive $17,791 premium between the price of the model in its home market in Russia and in Japan, making it no less than 132 percent more expensive in the “Land of the Rising Sun”.

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For the record, in Russia, the Lada Niva Travel starts from as low as 820,900 ₽ ($11,270) in base spec, while the flagship Luxe Offroad costs 982,900 ₽ ($13,495).

At least, buyers are getting standard air-conditioning, a multimedia system, a rearview camera with washer, power windows, heated seats, heated windshield, 16-inch alloy wheels with heavy-duty tires, and a snorkel. However, you shouldn’t expect any modern active safety features from the Russian off-roader, since the safety equipment is limited to a couple of airbags and ABS.

The company that grey imports Lada in Japan is called Le Parnass. According to Daily Motor, Le Parnass is buying new Lada models from the Khabarovsk Territory in Russia and transports them via ferries to the Japanese islands.

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Besides the Lada Niva Travel, Japanese fans of the Russian brand can also buy the Lada Vesta Sport sedan. This is imported for ¥3,780,000 ($34,020), when the price in Russia starts from 1,209,900 ₽ ($16,611), which represents a 105 percent premium. Another thing you should know is that all Ladas that arrive in RHD Japan are still left-hand-drive.

For those who are not familiar with the Lada Niva Travel, it is actually a facelifted version of the AvtoVaz 2123, also known as Chevrolet Niva. It debuted back in 1998 but has been extensively facelifted for 2021 bringing a modern look. Maybe it doesn’t look as tough as the immortal Niva Legend, but it still poses as a rugged SUV thanks to the redesigned face, the high ground clearance, and the plastic cladding all around the bodywork.

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All Lada Niva Travel variants are fitted with the naturally aspirated 1.7-liter four-cylinder engine producing 80 hp (59 kW / 80 PS). Power is sent to all four wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox, a dual-speed transfer case, and a mechanical differential lock.