In January 2022, four-wheel drive was part of nearly two-fifths of new car sales. By February the share climbed to about 40.6 percent. March brought a peak moment, with 42.2 percent of new vehicles sold featuring four-wheel drive. From April onward, the trend shifted downward: 41.4 percent in April and 33.5 percent in May.
These numbers come from Avtostat analysts who studied Electronic Passport JSC data (EPTS). The shift is linked to a drop in premium car sales, in part because supply to Russia for these models has almost halted. Previously, roughly nine out of ten premium vehicles were bought with four-wheel drive configurations.
Consequently, the market saw a rise in front-wheel drive popularity. In April the share advanced to about 58.3 percent and in May to roughly 66.3 percent. Rear-wheel drive remains a tiny slice of the market, accounting for only about 0.2 to 0.3 percent of total sales.