By Walt Hickey Lada A month ago, automaker Renault agreed to transfer their €2.2 billion ($2.3 billion) Russian business to entities controlled by the Russian government for a token sum. AutoVaz, which produces the Lada brand of vehicles, was taken over by the state, and according to Renault things aren’t going super. Russia will produce vehicles without airbags and anti-lock braking systems as they try to get the operations up and running again, as parts shortages force Russian automakers to forgo significant safety systems to get production in motion.