Lada 2108 also called LADA Samara (1984-2013) is the name of the family of Soviet and Russian passenger cars of small class produced by the Volga Automobile Plant from 1984 to December 24, 2013. It was the second autonomous design from AvtoVAZ (the first was the Niva SUV), and the first Lada car not based on the Fiat-derived mechanicals. They became the first cars of the Volga Automobile Plant, not connected with technical succession with Fiat 124. At the time - the most popular Russian cars in the domestic market. Originally in the domestic market, this line of cars was called "Sputnik", and the name Lada Samara was used only for export vehicles. The latter subsequently spread as Lada Samara in Russia, and then became official for the family. It was the first front-wheel drive serial car built in the Soviet Union after the LuAZ-969V. The Samara has been modified and restyled during the years of production before it was finally discontinued in December 2013. The Samara was sold all across the world, from Australia to Canada, in most European countries. The build quality of the Samara was better than that of most Eastern European models. In most nations, versions and equipments were decided on and installed by the dealers themselves. These local varieties ranged from decals and badges to the convertible conversions offered in Belgium and Germany. The Samara was often sold under other names as well, in particular the VAZ 21099 (Samara Sedan), which was sold as the Sagona in (France and Spain), Diva in (Belgium and the Netherlands), Forma in (Germany) and Sable in (Australia and New Zealand). It was engineered in right-hand drive for the UK market, where it was sold from November 1987. It was sold there until VAZ withdrew from the UK market in July 1997, and was the most popular Lada model sold in the UK during the 23 years that the brand was sold there. In certain markets where the tax structure benefited diesels (such as France and the Benelux), the Samara was available with a 1.5-litre Peugeot diesel engine in 1995–97. As a partial response to this situation, a higher-quality version for the European market, the Lada EuroSamara or Samara Baltic in some markets, was assembled in Finland at the Valmet Automotive plant in Uusikaupunki. Production started in mid-1996 and ended in July 1998, with 14,000 cars made from 85 per cent Russian parts. The Samara was introduced into the Australian market in July 1988, and was offered in three-door and convertible body styles.