Tolyatti:
Tolyatti is a city situated in western Russia on the banks of the Volga River near Samara. It is most recognized as the site of Russia's largest automobile factory VAZ (Volzhsky Automobile Plant) which manufactures the famous "Lada" line of automobiles.
A city of roughly 710,000 inhabitants, it was originally founded as fortress named Stavropol-on-Volga. In the 1950s it fell into the flooding zone of the newly constructed Kuybyshev dam and was completely rebuilt on a new site. In 1964 the city was renamed Tolyatti in honor of a famous Italian communist leader, Palmiro Togliatti.
In 1966 the government adopted a decision to build the Volzhsky Automobile Plant (VAZ) within the city. Reaching an agreement with Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1971, and more recently with GM in 2001, VAZ is now a modern factory producing high quality automobiles.
Learn more about Tolyatti: