 Actual production began in the following year on 5 April 1977, while the first export models appeared in 1978 at the Paris Motor Salon and rapidly captured at least 40% of Europe's market for four-wheel drive vehicles, making it Lada's top-selling export.Moreover, it became the only Soviet car that was ever sold in Japan, starting from early 1980s, inspiring their Suzuki Samurai.Because of export demand and the higher priority given to exports, domestic customers faced long waiting lists, despite the fact that the car was developed primarily for the Soviet people, as mentioned above.