Russia ramping up domestic car exports to European market

Sales of Russia-made Lada cars increased by almost 11 percent across the EU in the first half of 2018, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) shows.

According to ACEA, January-June exports amounted to 2,770 vehicles. Last month, exports rose by more than 15 percent compared with June 2017.

In general, export sales of Russia’s AvtoVAZ, which manufactures Lada vehicles, increased by 64 percent, amounting to 16,592 cars.

ACEA said that the largest export markets for Lada were Kazakhstan and Belarus. Data showed 5,854 and 4,206 cars have been purchased respectively.

AvtoVAZ, which is part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, exports its cars to 30 countries. It plans to boost sales to more than 100,000 vehicles by 2022.

The company has a stable market share in CIS countries, and also sells cars in Germany, Iran, Syria, Egypt, and Hungary. It plans to expand to the Czech Republic, Mongolia, and South-East Asia.

READ MORE: Russian-made cars now hold lion's share of domestic market

In January, AvtoVAZ resumed sales to Cuba, delivering 300 Lada cars. That was the first shipment of Russian cars to the Latin American country in more than a decade. In May, official Lada sales started in Tunisia.

Last year, AvtoVAZ began exporting vehicles to the world’s biggest auto market, China. Sales also kicked off in the United Arab Emirates as the manufacturer seeks to win a share of the Middle East market.

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