Seaz · 1987–2008

VAZ-1111

The Lada Оkа (VAZ-1111, SeAZ-1111, КаmАZ-1111, Astro 11301) (Russian: Ока (ВАЗ-1111, СеАЗ-1111, КамАЗ-1111)) is a city car designed in the Soviet Union in the later half of the 1970s by AvtoVAZ. It entered production in 1988, where it was powered by a 644 cc (39.3 cu in) SOHC two-cylinder engine. While developed at AutoVAZ by a team led by Yuri Kuteev, no production models were built there. Instead, manufacturing was outsourced to SeAZ factory in Serpukhov, and ZMA in Naberezhnye Chelny (then owned by Kamaz and now owned by SeverstalAvto). Massive plans were in place for a new plant in Yelabuga, but these failed to materialize. The car was also produced in Azerbaijan by the Gyandzha Auto Plant. The name comes from the Oka River in Russia, upon which Serpukhov is situated.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: SMZ cycle-car

All Seaz VAZ-1111 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

This affordable, lightweight and simple automobile replaced the air-cooled, rear-engined ZAZ Zaporozhets 966-968 series models as "the people's car". The SeAZ factory specialized in building purpose-built vehicles for handicapped drivers, and by the 1970s their offering was the S-3D, a spartan, boxy two-seat sedan powered by a motorcycle engine. Despite being noisy and smoky, the S-3D was, nevertheless, very popular with mobility-challenged drivers, many of whom were World War II veterans and, being such, received their vehicles free of charge. When engineers in Serpukhov under factory manager Alexander Popov (who told Minavtoprom (the automotive ministry) SeAZ needed a new product) conceived the Oka, they turned to their VAZ colleagues for help. The project was approved in 1983. Prior to the Oka, VAZ designers had been working on a number of microcars, including a similar-looking variant of the VAZ-1101 offered by the designer Yuri Danilov in 1971, but those models did not go into production. The tiny car was to be a replacement for the S-3D, and, like its predecessor, featured a simple motorcycle engine. Andrei Rozov, one of lead engine designers at VAZ, proposed a new three-cylinder engine, but, due to time constraints, that engine was not developed, and the decision was made to employ a two-cylinder variant of the VAZ-2108 four-cylinder engine by essentially chopping the latter in half. It was 1983, and the first Soviet front-wheel drive automobile, the 2108, was ready to hit the market. The Oka quickly became the next "people's car" project, a vehicle that "every factory engineer can afford". The inspiration for Yuri Vereschagin, the VAZ exterior designer who penned the Oka, came from Japanese kei cars, such as the Daihatsu Cuore, which in turn, and along with the

Versions

VAZ-1111 - A basic model powered by a 650cc 2-cylinder engine. Produced between 1988-1996; VAZ-1111e - An experimental model with electric drive [2]. See also Rapan. SeAZ-1111-01 - A special version based on VAZ-1111 for disabled people without both legs; SeAZ-1111-02 - A special version based on VAZ-1111 for disabled people with one leg; SeAZ-1111-03 - A special version based on VAZ-1111 for disabled people with one leg and one arm; VAZ-11113 (LADA OKA) - a version powered by a larger 750cc 2-cylinder VAZ-11113 engine. Produced in 1996-2007. In 2000, "Auto Exotica 2000" demonstrated a version with 2-door "notchback" sedan with a separate trunk; SeAZ-11113-01 - a special version based on VAZ-11113 for disabled people without both legs. In 2000, an "Oka Prestige" prototype based on this version was shown with a soft canvas top on the left side of the roof and a swiveling driver's seat; SeAZ-11113-02 - a special version based on VAZ-11113 for disabled people with one leg; SeAZ-11113-03 - a special version based on VAZ-11113 for disabled people with one leg and one arm; SeAZ-11116 - a version powered by a Chinese-made 1000cc TJ FAW three-cylinder fuel-injected engine. Produced in 2007-2008 at SeAZ; SeAZ-11116-01 - a special version based SeAZ-11116 for disabled people without both legs; SeAZ-11116-02 - a special version based SeAZ-11116 for disabled people with one leg; SeAZ "Oka Junior" - limited-production sports version of for novice racers. Equipped with a roll cage, a sports steering wheel and seats with four-point seat belts; SeAZ "Sport" - a "semi-pro" racing version with a roll cage, Sparco seats with four-point safety belts, hood pins, and a lighter interior; "Oka-Astro-11301" - a limited-production extended wheelbase version originally produced in 2002-2006 by a

Usage

Its road agility and acceleration rate (quite surprising for its appeal) prevented it from taking Zaporozhets' place in folklore (which takes its delight in the awkwardness and slow speed of the former). Its small size and weight (635 kilograms), however, gave birth to a multitude of funny (and often true) stories involving several men carrying an Oka away from its parking place. Special modifications for disabled people (missing one or both legs or one arm) were being distributed for free through the Soviet Union's (and later Russia's) social service system.

United States

As of 2019, an American company called Oka Auto USA owned by MIROX, and located in Las Vegas, Nevada, offered electrically powered Okas for the US neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) market called the Oka NEV ZEV. To conform to NEV regulations, the electric Oka's speed is limited to 25 mph (40 km/h).

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Lada Оkа
aka: VAZ-1111, SeAZ-1111, KamAZ-1111, SeAZ Oka, KamAZ Oka, Astro 11301, Oka NEV ZEV
Manufacturer: AutoVAZ, KAMAZ, Lada, Ganja Auto Plant, SeAZ, MIROX
Assembly: Soviet Union / Russia: Togliatti, Azerbaijan: Ganja
Production: 1987–2008, 2004–2008 (Azerbaijan)
Class: City car (A)
Body style: 3-door hatchback, 2-door pickup truck
Layout: front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Engine: 644 cc SOHC I2, 749 cc SOHC I2, 993 cc TJ FAW I3, 1091 cc MeMZ 245.1 I4
Transmission: 4-speed Manual
Designer: Yuriy Aleksandrovich Vereschagin
Top speed: 140 km/h

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1517152CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oka_(automobile)CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1376364486 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oka-Auto.jpgCC BY 4.0 · Photo: Schlurcher · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.