Lada cars

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 18

Lada cars

Sir,—l feel revulsion and sadness at the actions of the fanatical Christchurch Right-wing organisation members who are again harassing and insulting drivers of Lada cars. Apparently they see nothing wrong in owning Japanese cars in spite of the record of Japan during World War II in which Russia was our ally. In 1983 our own Government is importing Lada vehicles for use by various Public Service departments, and we all know how valuable the U.S.S.R. is as a trading partner buying our primary produce. The culprits identified themselves by the Americanised spelling of “labor” and “favor” in their windscreen notices.—Yours, etc.,

R. L. PLUCK. December 7, 1983.

Sir,—Your article about the harassment of Lada car drivers is amusing when you consider the facts. Ladas are made under licence in Russia on a 50-50 profitsharing arrangement with the Fiat Motor Company of Turin, Italy. They are Fiat 124 s and 1255. The same arrangement was made to make the car in Franco’s Spain, where they are called Siats. The

owner of the Fiat Motor Company and the arranger of all these deals is the Roman Catholic Church. —

Yours, etc., DENIS HOWE. December 7, 1983.

Sir,—Apart from the utter falsity of their claims that slave labour is used in the manufacture of Lada cars, those Right-wing fanatics on their self-appointed mission of harassing Lada car owners are taking on themselves the presumption of dictating to their fellow citizens what brand of car they should of should not buy. In opposing the purchase of Lada cars because they are made with “slave labour,” these people would like it to be inferred that they are concerned for freedom. The emptiness of such pretensions is clear from their harassment of Lada car owners, trying to impose their Right-wing views on persons of more enlightened outlook. The Soviet Union was allied to Britain and the United States in World War II against the Axis powers, of which Japan was one. Do we welcome the cars of the former enemy and spurn the cars of the former ally? — Yours, etc., M. CREEL. December 12, 1983.