Sales of the Lada Iskra are gradually entering a more stable phase. If it was almost impossible to find a new car at dealerships in the summer, by the end of the year the situation had changed: cars appeared in showrooms, albeit not in all versions. Additional interest in the model was fueled by the victory in the national "New Car of the Year" award by Auto.ru, after which it was decided to check what dealers really offer, at what prices, and under what conditions.
Formally, the Iskra lineup looks broad: sedan, SW station wagon, and raised SW Cross, several trim levels, and three types of transmission. However, in practice, the entry-level Comfort and Life versions have been almost completely removed from the market. Dealers explain this by small initial deliveries — such cars were snapped up immediately, and they are not expected in the next batches. The main part of the range today consists of Enjoy and Techno versions, both for the sedan and station wagons.
In Moscow, the choice looks good: there are sedans and both types of station wagon, manual and CVT, different colors. Most dealers quote official prices, including a surcharge of 20 thousand rubles for metallic paint. But there are also cars with a significant markup. For example, the SW Cross in the Techno trim with a manual gearbox is offered for 1.85 million rubles — about 140 thousand above the price. The overpayment is explained by the installed extras: crankcase protection, anti-corrosion treatment, floor mats, hood stops, and an alarm system with auto-start. A similar approach applies to sedans, where the final price easily goes beyond 1.7 million.
The situation is calmer in St. Petersburg. Here, the Iskra is only represented in the Enjoy and Techno versions, but prices are stated strictly according to the official price list. The only thing that managers immediately warn about is the surcharge for metallic paint. The colors "Captain", "Tabasco", "Borneo", and "Flamenco" automatically make the car 20 thousand rubles more expensive, but dealers are in no hurry to impose additional equipment.
In the regions, the picture varies noticeably from city to city. In Kazan, it was possible to find a rare sedan in the basic configuration — in fact, the last one, and even slightly cheaper than the recommended price. They also offer Life with a manual transmission without markups. In Nizhny Novgorod and Samara, the focus is on Enjoy and Techno, station wagons and SW Cross are available, prices are official. In Rostov-on-Don, they are even ready to "give" a car kit, deducting its cost from the price, and extras are installed only at the client's request.
The south of the country looks less friendly to the wallet. In Krasnodar, the initial versions have almost disappeared, and popular trim levels are already sold with a mandatory equipment package. The Iskra SW station wagon with a manual transmission in the Enjoy version costs about 90 thousand rubles more than the price, and the SW Cross is even more expensive. This amount includes tinting, floor mats, and an alarm system with auto-start. A similar situation is in Krasnoyarsk, where surcharges for dealer kits reach 100 thousand rubles or more.
In the east of the country, the Iskra is still exotic. In Vladivostok, there is only one car available — a Techno sedan with a manual transmission. The price almost corresponds to the price, but there is no choice. Dealers admit that the car was brought "for a test", but they are ready to place an order directly from the factory for the desired configuration. In Novosibirsk, information is given reluctantly, confirming only the availability of Enjoy and Techno, and they suggest looking at the price lists for specific prices.
As a result, the Lada Iskra is sold today without discounts or promotions, and the real conditions depend heavily on the region and the appetites of a particular dealer. Somewhere you can take the car at the official price and without imposed options, and somewhere tens of thousands of rubles are automatically added to the price for additional equipment. Those who are counting on a "clean" purchase without overpayments will have to call dealers and be prepared to travel to another city.
