RIO DE JANEIRO, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - Brazil will resume imports of Russian Lada Niva 4x4 off-road vehicles, a Brazilian importer said.

The Niva is built by Russian automaker AutoVAZ. It was introduced to the Brazilian market in 1991 and quickly became the best-selling foreign-made off-road vehicle. However, competition and higher import taxes forced the Niva to be withdrawn from the Brazilian market in 1998.

According to Caoa Group, the first batch of Nivas is expected on the Brazilian market in mid-2009.

"At present, we are determining the consumer price for the car," said Roberto Pedrosa, Caoa's marketing director.

Niva gained popularity in Brazil due to its low price and strong performance characteristics. Despite not being sold in the South American country for a decade, the car still has many fans among Brazilian drivers, who call themselves "niveiros."

Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ recently said exports of Lada 4x4 off-road vehicles in the first half of 2008 rose 50% year-on-year.