Lemme clarify something. That wasn't real whitewall tires, just portawalls (toppers) - an optional extra, and they very quickly became dirty and dusty. In some cases, they have also drawn the attention of thieves as well as another "deficit" consumer goods (e.g. left side mirror - right was very rare on personal cars, wiper blades, etc.). So that wasn't thing for daily usage
Sorta off-topic but why were Ladas sold in Canada and not US? Also, is a beater version planned? I would like to know, thanks!
I don’t really have an answer for this, but my guess would be regulations, either emmissions, or more likely, safety.
it's a similar situation with the yugo. the yugo got recalled for emitions problems and so lada-vaz saw that as a dodged bullit. also the yugo was ancient, but not as old as the Lada 2101, wich can be dated back to the 1966 fiat 124, wich got elements from the 1961 fiat 1300/1500, even thought the 124 and 1300/1500 are totally differnt cars some techical ideas were shared. it's just a guess on my end. also, let's address the elephant in the room: comuism. the yuogo came from yugoslavia, much more open. the lada came from russia, wich although imported the 21-series in some european markets (like finland and the UK) in america was kida far reached