MOSCOW MOTOR SHOW: Lada comes in from the cold

This week's Moscow motor show is the launchpad for three all-new models from Russian car-maker Lada – and they are of a different breed to the Ladas we once knew in Australia.

The line-up includes the X-Ray compact SUV and the Vesta compact sedan that will make its first public appearance as a WTCC racer.

The design of the new Ladas has been drawn up under the stewardship of British stylist Steve Mattin and all models are expected to be underpinned by basic Nissan-Renault hardware.

Although none have yet emerged from 'concept' phase, it is accepted that all, with maybe minor changes, will be on the market in a little more than one year.

First cab off the rank will be the WTCC version of the Vesta sedan, driven by British drivers Rob Huff and James Thompson as well as Russian driver Mikhail Kozlovski, which is due to make its competition debut in the European Spring next year.

And when it’s launched as a road car in late 2015, the Vesta -- which will replace the Lada Priora -- is expected to be pretty much a replica of this Moscow show concept.

It reportedly measures 4.4 metres long and is expected to be Lada’s second-biggest seller after the smaller Granta sedan.

Also set to make a big impact for the reinvented Lada is the production version of the X-Ray SUV, which under the skin owes a lot to the basic but surprisingly highly rated product of Romania, the Dacia Sandero hatch-based Stepway.

The synergies continue to flow, as Dacia is also connected to the Renault-Nissan alliance.

Due to make its appearance on European markets in early 2016, the X-Ray will add a couple of doors to the three-door concept model and will form the basis for a family of vehicles built off the same platform.