Just as cheap, utilitarian Soviet-era vehicle is being discontinued, it earns new life with thrifty hipsters.

For some, the end of production of the Lada, symbolic of Soviet-era utilitarianism, means an end to an icon of the middle class. For others, the Lada is being put out of its misery.

First built in the 1970s, and rarely modified, the Lada quickly became the subject of many jokes in Russia.

As with many cultural icons once considered passe and uncool, the Lada is seeing renewed fervour among some of Russia’s urban youth, who are willing to embrace it precisely for its cheapness.

Al Jazeera’s Sue Turton reports from St Petersburg.