Russians don’t change their tastes on cars (despite sanctions)
Russians are still loyal to the well-known, usual, European, Japanese and South Korean car brands, despite the lack of official deliveries to Russia and the influx of Chinese cars. The news is reported by Kommersant , the Russian financial media.
The most active demand on marketplaces in 2023, among used cars up to three years old, was for Hyundai and Kia, as well as popular models from Toyota and VW. In the premium segment, half of the top 10 consisted of BMW models. Dealers and analysts point out that in the premium segment the demand will focus on traditionally popular brands will remain, despite the tightening of import conditions. Recall that the EU has imposed numerous heavy sanctions .
Avito Auto indicated the most popular cars up to three years of age in 2023. The rating was based on the number of contact requests in advertisements. The top 10 models from both the mass and premium segments mostly include brands that were popular in previous years, which as of 2022 are not officially presented. Thus, in the mass segment, these are Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio, popular business sedans Toyota Camry and Kia K5, as well as Volkswagen Polo and Kia Sportage. Among the cars that can be officially purchased in Russia, only two models are on the list: Lada Granta and Vesta, as well as two Geely cars – Monjaro and Coolray.
Geely models were actively imported into Russia bypassing the distributor, including private individuals through Asian countries, as they were cheaper, but from April 1 this possibility of avoiding duties will cease.
Korean bestsellers may return to the market, albeit under a different name: AGR has taken over Hyundai's St. Petersburg plant and started producing cars under the Solaris brand. The HC and KRS models are copies of Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio (see Kommersant of February 22).
In the premium segment, half of the top 10 are BMW models.
The brand was the leader of the premium segment before the crisis, but officially does not supply cars to Russia since 2022. Also on the list are Lexus RX, Mercedes-Benz G-Class AMG and E-Class. In addition to them, the top 10 includes two cars Chinese electrics: Zeekr 001 and Voyah Free. Zeekr is not represented in the Russian Federation, but it is the brand's electric cars that will become the best-selling among electric cars in 2023, according to Avtostat estimates. Voyah in the Russian Federation is officially imported by Motorinvest based in Lipetsk, but you can find versions designed for China on the markets and at dealers. But from October 1, 2023, the ban on parallel import of brands officially represented in Russia will come into force.
In 2023, the share of imports that bypass official distributors will account for 12% of the automotive market, “Avtostat” estimates. This is about 130 thousand cars. At the same time, the top-10 of the new car market (considering cars up to three years old) is closed by the brands Kia (33.6 thousand), Hyundai (24.6 thousand) and Toyota (23.3 thousand), despite the lack of official deliveries. Sales of BMW cars were 9.1 thousand and surpassed, for example, the Chinese Jetour which is officially sold in Russia.
Despite duties and sanctions, the consumer is still the King
The political conflicts should have eliminated the Russian market for European, Korean and Japanese cars: the EU and the USA imposed heavy sanctions, while Russia, in turn, imposed duties on imports, mainly affecting cars from hostile countries . Despite this, Russian dealers, who feel the demand directly, expect stable demand especially for the luxury segment.
At the same time, however, imports become more difficult for the mass market and it is easier to switch to domestically produced models, especially if the Hyundai factories restart, or to imports from non-sanctioned countries.
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The articleRussians do not change their tastes on cars (despite sanctions) comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/i-russi-non-cambiano-gusti-sulle-auto-nonostante-le-sanzioni/ on Thu, 21 Mar 2024 09:00:06 +0000.