For many people Tolyatti is synonymous with Zhiguli, or Lada — the most renowned Soviet car brand. The city is directly related to the Volga automobile manufacturer AvtoVAZ (Volzhsky Avtomobilny Zavod).
The city, formerly known as Stavropol, was founded far earlier than the car manufacturing plant, at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1737, Vasily Tatishev, a Russian statesman and businessman, built on the Volga embankment a fortress facing the Zhiguli Mountains. The fortress served as a local center. After 1739, it is referred to as Stavropol, or “the cross city”. This name is shared by another region of Russia, in Caucasus, though it was established almost 40 years later than the city that would later be known as Tolyatti.
The construction of the Zhiguli Dam and Hydroelectric Station started during the turmoil of the 1950s. The ancient city of Stavropol was almost completely flooded by the waters from the Kuybyshev Reservoir. The new city blocks were built in a totally different location, on the upper embankment.
Starting from 1964, the city was renamed after the Italian Communist Party leader Palmiro Togliatti. The new life and quick rise of Tolyatti started in the 1960s, after the car manufacturer plant was built. There are three districts in Tolyatti, all surrounded by thick forests: Avtozavodsky District, Komsomolsky District (where the River Terminal is located), and the Central District. The city is also home to numerous enterprises, including chemical companies. Tolyatti is also an important transport hub.
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