Lada
The car was intended to be the Russian answer to the VW people's car, and its Soviet virtues -- rugged Siberia-proof setup, mechanic-friendly power train -- made it a big seller nearly everywhere in the world except the U.S., where there were political incentives not to buy the Kremlin's most valuable export.
The car was woefully underpowered: In The Bourne Supremacy, portions of the Moscow chase scene that featured Lada police cars had to be shot against a background of parked cars to give the appearance of speed. The brand is still state-owned, under the Russian Technologies banner, but has partnered with Renault, which makes it now part of the world's third-largest multinational auto company, the Renault-Nissan-Lada group.
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