SAMARA, December 15 (Itar-Tass) — A new Russian-made people’s car, the Lada Granta, will be offered for sale starting from December 22, the press service of the AvtoVAZ car manufacturer said on Thursday.

Sales of Lada Grantas will start concurrently in all Russian regions. The plant has begun deliveries of Lada Granta cars to its dealer networks.

The cars will be sold primarily to those who have placed an advance order on the website granta.lada.ru and signed a contract with a dealer. The orders will be fulfilled in the term from December 2011 to March 2012. These cars will be sold at a price fixed at the contract signing moment. i.e. 229,000 roubles for a “standard” model, and 256,000 roubles for a “norm” model.

In 2012, AvtoVAZ plans to turn out 150,000 Lada Grants cars and to begin the production of Lada Granta hatchback models.

Lada Granta is an economy class car built on the Kalina platform to replace older VAZ versions, such as Lada 2107 and Lada Samara and Lada Kalina sedans. The new car model is more safe and comfortable and boasts a roomy boot (500 litres). The car is equipped with an 1.6-litre 8-valve engine. Fuel consumption is 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres. The car is capable of developing a maximum speed of 167 kilometers per hour.