And all ten of them are produced in Russia
This post first appeared on Russia Insider
This article originally appeared at Ostexperte. Translated from the German by Susan Neumann
Here are the cars that are selling in Russia despite the crisis.
There are new numbers for the Russian auto market. First and foremost, things don’t look good. This is an overview of the best-selling cars despite the crisis. It is worth noting here that all the models in the top 10 are also produced in Russia. Which models they are exactly and where they are produced, you’ll see below.
The Russian automotive market still finds itself in a slump. Compared to September 2014, the market for new cars and light commercial vehicles dropped by 28.6 percent in September of this year. This is according to the data published by the AEB (Association of European Businesses) on October 8th. Almost all manufacturers have suffered significant losses during the period from January to September 2015, compared to the same data of the last year.
The members of the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee, who are responsible for collecting the sales data, expect a decrease of 37 percent for the entire year of 2015, based on a comparison with last year.
Some bad news comes with that. The exhaust gas scandal at VW has had far-reaching effects on the global economy and will likely further impact Russia’s already weak VW sales (see below). In addition to that, General Motors vehicles are now being recalled in Russia. On Monday, October 5th, the US group recalled around 70,000 vehicles.
Apparently, the Russian winter is not compatible with some American cars. After tests were done in Moscow [October 5th] by the Russian federal regulatory agency Rosstandart, it was announced that temperatures of minus 40 degrees can tear the steering hoses on the vehicles of type Chevrolet Aveo (built from November 2011 to September 2015). General Motors had already released an announcement in spring that they wanted to pull out of the Russian car market.
Only gains in luxury cars and light commercial vehicles are expected
Even though the outlook appears bleak, there are some bright spots. There were some gains between January and September for the luxury car maker Porsche (Germany, +30 percent); Lexus (Japan, +10 percent); the commercial vehicle manufacturer UAZ (Russia, +8 percent); and Mercedes-Benz Vans (Germany, +10 percent).
The other German car manufacturers suffered losses: VW (-40 percent), Mercedes-Benz (-12 percent), Audi (-26 percent), BMW (-20 percent) and Opel (-69 percent).
The ten best-selling cars are all produced locally
It is noteworthy that the ten Russia’s best-selling cars are all produced locally in Russia. However, they too have suffered significant losses compared to sales in 2014.
Here’s a list of the ten best-selling cars in Russia from January to September 2015. In brackets is the increase or decrease in sales compared to the same period in 2014.
The bestsellers during the crisis: The Russians have bought these 10 models the most (so far) in 2015.
1. Lada Granta
Vehicles sold: 90,345 (-24 percent)
The Lada Granta is the best-selling car. It’s produced in Russian Togliatti in the Samara Oblast.
2. Hyundai Solaris
Vehicles sold: 85,540 (+1 percent)
The Hyundai Solaris, produced in St.Petersburg, is specially adapted for the Russian market.
3. New KIA Rio
Vehicles sold: 71,650 (+7 percent)
The third version of the Kia Rio is built at the St.Petersburg plant.
4. VW Polo
Vehicles sold: 31,378 (-42 percent)
The VW Polo Sedan is manufactured at the VW plant in Kaluga.
5. Renault Logan
Vehicles sold: 31,312 (-28 percent)
The Renault Logan is sold under the name of "Dacia Logan" in the rest of Europe. In Russia it is made in Moscow and Togliatti.
6. Renault Duster
Vehicles sold: 30,108 (-88 percent)
The Renault Duster is known in many other countries as the "Dacia Duster". It’s built in Moscow for the Russian market.
7. Lada Largus
Vehicles sold: 29,777 (-59 percent)
The Lada Largus is produced in Togliatti. It’s a Russia-adapted version of the Dacia Logan MCV.
8. Lada Kalina
Vehicles sold: 29,104 (-71 percent)
The Lada Kalina 2 is also produced by AvtoVAZ in Tagliatti.
9. Lada 4 × 4
Vehicles sold: 27,470 (-7 percent)
Up until 2013, the Lada 4 × 4 was known as Lada Niva. It’s known under the name of Lada Niva in Germany and Austria. This model is also built in Togliatti.
10. Toyota Camry
Vehicles sold: 23,275 (-6 percent)
There’s less demand for the Toyota Camry in Europe. The car boasts a stable demand in Russia, however, and is manufactured in St.Petersburg.
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