Today, roughly 60 Chinese car brands are present in the Russian market, a mix that includes vehicles brought in through parallel imports. This landscape has been observed and reported by the analytics firm Avtostat, which tracks how brands enter and compete in Russia’s automotive scene.
Avtostat notes that in 2023, nineteen Chinese car brands made their entry into Russia. Names such as BAIC, Haima, Hongqi, Jetour, Kaiyi, Livan, Jetta, SWM, Tank, Jaecoo, Ora, Voyah, and Skywell were highlighted as brands announcing the start of official sales, opening showrooms, and forming authorized dealer networks within the country. This expansion signaled a shift from a primarily import-focused market to one with growing official distribution and service infrastructure for Chinese makers.
By the same year, Russia already hosted sixteen additional Chinese brands that had established a presence, with Haval, Chery, and Geely standing out as the most recognizable and widely distributed names. In parallel, more than twenty Chinese brands were selling vehicles unofficially in Russia, including Zeekr, Avatr, Xpeng, and others, where the distribution relied on non-official channels and gray-market routes rather than sanctioned dealership networks.
Previously, the process included developments around production capacity and plant operations, such as the resumption of manufacturing at the former Volvo plant in Kaluga, a milestone that influenced the broader automotive supply chain and brand strategies in Russia. This historical note sits alongside the ongoing evolution of official versus unofficial import patterns, dealer network expansion, and brand recognition considerations for Chinese automakers as they navigate Russia’s regulatory environment, consumer expectations, and the competitive landscape.