Published: Just now
When the international car brands leave Russia, China comes in and fills the void.
But the Chinese cars are met with skepticism among Russian car buyers.
– They hardly have any competition anymore. But that does not mean that people will change their opinions, says the Russian expert.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many international car companies have ended their operations and sales in Russia.
It has created a hole in the Russian car market. A hole that is now being filled by the Chinese car industry.
But Chinese automakers have big shoes to fill and buyers don’t seem entirely happy with the new dominant players, reports Reuters.
“Has a Volvo engine”
The Chinese are not stable in driving, says Stepan, 28, in Moscow. He has co-driven several models. But when he got the opportunity to buy a car from the Czech brand Skoda last year, he took it and according to him the difference is huge.
Russian car buyer Alexander, 74, wanted Swedish technology when buying a new car and was aware that a Chinese brand is cooperating with Volvo.
– I know that Geely Tugella has a Volvo engine. That’s what sold the car for me, Alexander told Reuters.
Taking over the market
At the beginning of 2022, Chinese cars accounted for ten percent of new car sales in Russia. A year later, brands such as Haval, Chery and Geely had taken over and accounted for almost 40 percent of new car sales.
Renault was the most popular foreign car brand in Russia before the war. The European, Japanese and Korean dominance was total and they were behind 70 percent of new car sales. Now the figure is down to 22.6 percent.
– Yes, the Chinese cars hardly have any competition anymore. But that does not mean that people will change their opinions, at least not immediately, says Russian automotive industry expert Sergej Aslanijan.
Medvedev in defense
The Chinese cars are being defended, among others by the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. He believes that the skepticism comes from people not being up to date on the rapid development of cars.
– I took a ride with a locally made car in China and checked out some models. I must say that the car I drove was really no worse than a Mercedes, said Medvedev.
Car dealer Vladimir Shestak in Vladivostok also believes that Chinese cars have made great progress in recent years.
The price tag problem
At the same time that China is establishing itself as the market leader in the Russian car trade, the sale of new cars in general has decreased drastically in the country – by almost 60 percent in the last year.
The prices of the Chinese cars are also a contributing factor to people not feeling so eager to buy. Even Medvedev has expressed that they are a little too expensive. A new Geely Tugella costs around 3–4 million rubles, corresponding to 450,000–600,000 kroner, according to the Geely Motors website.