New car sales soar in Russia – data

New passenger car sales in Russia skyrocketed in 2023, data from Autostat analytics agency showed this week. As of the end of the year, 1.06 million new cars were sold in the country, a 69% increase against 2022, the agency said.

In December alone, 119,454 cars were sold, more than double the amount recorded in the same month in 2022.

Russian Lada remained the top-selling brand, with a market share of 30.65% (against 27.89% in 2022). A total of 324,446 Lada cars were sold in the country last year. The top three brands also included Chinese Chery (11.24% of the market with 118,950 vehicles) and Haval (10.55% with 111,720 units).

According to Autostat, sales of Chinese cars in Russia outpaced those produced by any other country in 2023. Chinese models currently take up six positions in the ranking of the ten best-selling brands in the country. Apart from Chery and Haval, the top ten also includes Geely, which sold 93,553 units (8.84% of the market), Changan (4.51% with 47,765 units), Exeed (3.98% with 42,152 units), and Omoda (3.97% with 41,983 units).

Meanwhile, South Korean Hyundai and Kia sales in Russia plunged last year, by 54.4% and 48.9% in annual terms, respectively. Sales of Japanese Toyota cars also dropped, by 18.5% to 23,318 units.

The Russian-made LADA Granta remained the best-selling passenger model in the country for the second year in a row. Its sales in 2023 amounted to roughly 195,910 units. The Haval Jolion crossover was the top-selling foreign car with 55,550 units. The top five also included LADA Niva Travel, LADA Vesta, and Chery Tiggo 7 PRO Max.

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