In Russia, 687,370 new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles were sold in 2022, which is 58.8% less than in 2021, when 1,666,780 cars were sold in our market. This is stated in the statistics of the Association of European Businesses (AEB).
Moreover, last year’s sales were even lower than in the “black” 2020, which was subject to severe restrictions (including the closure of car dealerships) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in 12 months, 1,598,825 new cars were sold in the country.
As for December 2022, the market fell by 50.2% this month to 64,072 units. At the same time, last month’s figures were still higher than November, during which the Russians purchased 46,403 new cars.
The reason for such indicators is the lack of new cars from dealers. Companies that announced the suspension of their activities in Russia in February-March have not yet been able to return to our market. Moreover, almost every month, automakers announce their final withdrawal from our country. Just recently, Nissan, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz have made such a decision. Earlier, Renault and General Motors took this step. In turn, domestic brands and Chinese companies that continue to operate in the domestic market cannot yet fully satisfy the demand of Russians for cars. Also, buyers are scared away by the high cost of cars in Russia.
Most cars last year were sold under the Lada brand – 188,645 units. This is 46% less than in 2021. Then Lada was able to sell 350,714 cars. In second place is Kia (-68% and 66,095 cars sold).
Closes the top three Hyundai (54,811 cars sold). This is 67% less than last year, when Koreans sold 167,331 cars on the Russian market. This is followed by GAZ (42,110 vehicles, -25%) and Chinese Chery (38,497 vehicles, +4%).[машин)Этона67%меньшепоказателейпрошлогогодакогдакорейцыпродалинароссийскомрынке167 331автомобильДалееследуютГАЗ(42110автомобилей -25%)икитайскаяChery(38497машин+4%)
As for individual models, in 2022 the first place among the bestsellers was traditionally taken by Lada Granta. For 12 months, the Russians bought 95,879 of these cars. For example, in 2021, 111,430 such cars were sold on our market. In second place is Lada Niva, which sold 38,780 copies against 51,242 SUVs in 2021. The first three are closed by Lada Vesta cars (29,206 units).
In fourth place is the Kia Rio. During the year, the Russians bought 24,686 of these cars. Korean sedans Hyundai Solaris are located on the fifth line. In 2022, 18,073 such vehicles were sold on the Russian market.
The AEB also made a forecast for 2023. According to analysts, sales of new cars this year will grow by 12% and amount to 770,000 cars. The association emphasized that this is a “medium forecast”, and if the situation in the world stabilizes, sales figures in 2023 may be even higher. Analysts also predicted the emergence of five to seven new car brands in Russia this year.