Almost Half of Cars Sold in Russia This Year were from China

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Dec. 11 – With the departure of Western firms as a result of Putin’s war in Ukraine, China has moved from a marginal player in Russia’s automobile market to dominance; and during the first nine months of this year, Russian government statistics show, Chinese cars amounted for 48 percent of the total new car registrations there.

            That growth is likely to continue although there are problems with the provision of spare parts and even Russian translations of Chinese manuals about these cars, industry experts say (newizv.ru/news/2023-12-11/avtorynok-v-rossii-totalnaya-kitaizatsiya-pochemu-eto-i-horosho-i-ploho-424836).

            This “Sinification” of the Russian car market, the experts continue, is not so much about price point as about availability. Cars from Western countries are no longer readily available, and Chinese cars are not less expensive. What this does mean, however, is that Putin’s turn to Asia may be seen by most Russians first and foremost on the streets and highways of their country.