Russian car market shows sharp March peak with brands holding or expanding their positions
Recent figures from the Association of European Businesses reveal a clear peak in car sales across the Russian market during March. While the overall market contracted in early 2022, several brands managed to defend their footprint and in some cases strengthen their presence despite tougher conditions. The shift underscores how consumer preferences and brand strategies intersect in a challenging environment.
Among the standouts is Haval. In the first quarter of 2022, the brand climbed to 11th place in the sales ranking, delivering 8,311 vehicles compared with 6,558 in January through March 2021. This represents a notable year-on-year increase, signaling continued appeal for Haval models in the Russian lineup and a resilient demand pattern even as the market as a whole faced a downturn.
Other brands also demonstrated resilience and growth. Mitsubishi rose to 14th place in the first quarter of 2022, with sales ticking up by 12 percent to 5,747 units from 5,132 a year earlier. Behind Mitsubishi, Geely posted a substantial gain, lifting sales by 59 percent to 5,543 units in January through March 2022 from 3,490 in the prior period. This surge highlights a strong trajectory for Geely within the evolving Russian market and reflects the impact of new or refreshed product offerings.
Cheryexeed emerged as a notable performer, driven by new models that helped lift last year’s figure of 520 cars in January through March 2021 to 2,312 in the same span of 2022. This jump equates to a 345 percent increase and marks the model lineup’s growing resonance with Russian buyers. Changan also contributed to the gains, posting a 12 percent year-on-year rise to 1,277 sales in the first quarter of 2022 from 1,143 in the previous period. Other brands, including Genesis, Opel, Isuzu and Chevrolet, increased volumes as well, but their gains remained modest compared with the leaders, with several firms registering only a few hundred units in the quarter.
Looking at the market as a whole, the contraction is evident. The leading three brands experienced declines in the first quarter of 2022: Lada down 37 percent with 52,712 units sold versus 83,908 a year earlier, Kia down 35 percent to 33,658 from 51,624, and Hyundai down 25 percent to 30,026 from 40,122. Across all brands, the market shrank by 28.4 percent in the period. When January and February are weighted less heavily, the spring month of March contributed to a steeper revenue decline, illustrating how seasonal dynamics and broader macro factors intersect to shape quarterly results.
- The big question for the near term is what Russians will drive next. An explicit market forecast comes from Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem, who weighs the likely directions for vehicle demand in the coming months.
- Additional insights and analysis on driving trends can be found in local automotive communications channels, where dealers and manufacturers discuss pricing, supply, and model availability in real time.