Muscovites shun Russian cars

Great Wall Motor sold 854 Haval Jolions in Moscow last month for eight-fold year-on-year growth.

It was the first time a car made by a Chinese company was the top-selling model in the Russian capital. 

And not only that, according to analytical agency Avtostat, the four best-selling vehicles were Chinese-made. The Geely Coolray was second with 776 registrations in August, marking a seven-fold increase in sales. 

The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro and Geely Atlas Pro each sold 382 units, while Russia’s Lada Granta, pictured, closed the top-five on 224.

Last month, Muscovites bought 6,400 vehicles, which was down 64 per cent compared with August 2021.

The popularity of Chinese marques in Russia has been rising amid the exodus of European, US and Japanese car manufacturers from the local market. 

Many have found it difficult to continue operations there due to logistical disruptions resulting from sanctions after the import of cars and spare parts to Russia were red-lighted.