hyundai solaris
Hyundai’s India division unveiled the next generation Verna sedan, mirroring the Russian Solaris in most respects. The key regional difference is that the Indian model is sold with right-hand drive.
The budget variant has grown in size relative to the previous generation. The sedan is 130 mm longer and 36 mm wider, with a 70 mm longer wheelbase. Dimensions previously stood at 4535x1765x1475 mm and a wheelbase of 2670 mm. As a result, luggage capacity increased from 480 liters to 528 liters.
Verna/Solaris features two-segment headlights with illuminated LED outlines at the front and rear. The top trim adds a two-tone interior, a 10-inch multimedia touchscreen, and a single-cassette instrument cluster. The premium setup includes eight Bose speakers, 64-color ambient lighting, and heated and ventilated seats.
For the first time, the sedan introduces a full driving-assistance suite. These include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping, and reversing collision avoidance, among others. The sedan also ships with six airbags as standard for safety.
In India, the Verna is equipped with a new 1.5-liter direct-injection turbo petrol engine paired with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. An atmospheric 1.5-liter engine is offered as an alternative, with manual or automatic shifting. The basic price starts at 1.1 million rupees, roughly equivalent to 1 million rubles at current exchange rates.
Solaris in the Russian market, based in Saint Petersburg, held the fifth spot in the passenger-car segment by late 2021. The Hyundai plant has since paused production.
toyota corolla
Early 2022 saw Toyota halt car deliveries to Russia, including the Corolla units imported from Turkey. By 2023, the Turkish firm rolled out an updated model with sales starting in March. Visual changes were subtle, focusing on the radiator grille and front bumper; interiors received new trim materials and seat coverings, while alloy wheels and color options were expanded.
The latest Corolla lineup introduced a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, while the standout feature remains the fifth-generation hybrid system. The hybrid combines a 98-hp 1.8-liter engine with a 95-hp lithium-ion battery and an electric motor.
Officials claim 0–100 km/h acceleration improves by 1.7 seconds to 9.3 seconds, with fuel consumption around 4.6 L/100 km. Prices range from 706.9 thousand to 987.5 thousand Turkish liras depending on configuration, roughly 2.8 to 4 million rubles. Pre-crisis Russia pricing had approached 1.95 million rubles.
kia soul
Last year brought a restyled third-generation Kia Soul hatchback. Designers swapped the twin-headlamp setup for a single unit, refreshed the bumper and grille, revised the wheels, and expanded the color palette.
In higher trims the Soul features a digital instrument cluster, an electromechanical parking brake, and an 8–10.3 inch multimedia display. The update, completed in late 2022, marked its arrival on the Kazakhstan market. Prices range from 10.7 million to 14.5 million tenge, roughly 1.8–2.4 million rubles. In neighboring markets the model is offered with 1.6 (123 hp) and 2.0 (150 hp) engines.
In Russia, the Soul was produced at Avtotor’s Kaliningrad plant, ranking seventh in 2021 after the Sorento and Cerato. Current imports rely on parallel channels with Chinese-produced cars guiding supply.
Renault Logan and Sandero
By the end of 2020, Logan and Sandero underwent a generation shift, adopting the CMF-B platform shared with Renault-Nissan and sold in Europe under the Dacia badge.
The refreshed models grew in size, gained LED lighting, touchscreen infotainment, climate control, six airbags, parking sensors, and a hidden-area blind-spot warning system. The engine range included 1.0-liter units delivering 65–100 hp.
Plans called for these cars to roll off the Lada plant in Togliatti around mid-2022. In spring 2022 Renault exited the Russian market, leaving a limited footprint for Logan and Sandero through scattered listings and orders to import. As of early 2023, price points in Romania for the third-generation Logan and Sandero started near 14 thousand euros, about 1.2 million rubles.
Nissan Qashqai
In Russia, the second-generation Qashqai remained a popular crossover. Across Europe, the third-generation model arrived in 2021, but production in Russia faced delays as control of the Saint Petersburg plant shifted to AvtoVAZ. The current Qashqai brought a longer, wider stance, hybrid powertrains, boomerang headlights, a digital layout, a revamped multimedia system, a windshield projection function, and other updates.
At the start of 2022, the Qashqai price in Russia stood at 1.7 million rubles. The European baseline for the third-generation crossover started at about 23 thousand euros (roughly 1.9 million rubles).
Chinese replacement
Shuttered Russian production lines were gradually filled by Chinese brands. Avtotor began assembling Kaiyi E5 sedans at 1.96 million rubles. The plan included additional models in the same price range and three more Kaiyi crossovers, all expected to cost around 1.8 million rubles.
Two Kaiyi SUVs have already been shown by Moscow journalists – the X3 and X3 Pro – both powered by 1.5-liter engines producing 116 hp and 147 hp, respectively.
Unavailable “budget”
Renat Tyukteev, head of Avilon AG retail, commented that importing the old budget bestsellers to Russia no longer makes sense. Parallel imports are dominated by crossovers with rich configurations or models in higher price brackets, according to Tyukteev. He noted that importing cars under 1.5 million rubles has become unprofitable due to logistics costs, making consumer pricing sensitive. Compact crossovers are well represented by official Chinese-brand dealers, while sedans in the middle-price segment sell less frequently than executive options.
Vladimir Zhelobov, who oversees procurement at Avtodom Group and AvtoSpetsCentre Group, agrees that many parallel imports target the highest profit margins. He added that regardless of price, vehicles occupy space on ferries or car carriers; premium and luxury models carry bigger margins, while budget cars offer lower profitability for parallel deliveries.