The expert named the reasons for the possible departure of car brands from the Russian Federation

The Russian car market has faced a number of problems that may lead to the withdrawal of some foreign brands. The main reasons are the quality of the products, their relevance, pricing policy and the competence of distributors. Andrey Terlyukevich, General Director of Avtospeccenter Group of Companies, told Izvestia about this on April 16.

Earlier it was reported that up to ten Chinese car brands may leave the Russian market in 2025.

"There are a number of problems here. The main ones are the quality of the product, its relevance in the market, price positioning and the competence of the distributor. The marketing factor is also important," the specialist noted.

Although there may not be a mass exodus of brands in 2025, their presence on the market often looks formal.

Sales statistics for the first quarter of 2025 show that some brands, such as Forhing, VGV, MG, Oting, JMC and Livan, sell only a few dozen cars per month. The main reason for the failure is an underestimation of the Russian market and a lack of understanding of its demands.

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Why has the purchasing activity of Russians decreased?

According to him, the Russian consumer is not ready to pay for a low-quality, overpriced or unadapted product. As a result, experts are confident that only large players investing in localization will remain on the market. A separate situation has developed with Chinese brands. For example, Zeekr is trying to limit sales of its Chinese version in Russia, but is probably preparing for an official market launch.

"The Chinese themselves are working to enter the Russian market officially if they can hedge the risks," the expert added.

At the same time, the departure of weak players will not strengthen the position of Russian automakers — the market will remain the same.

"The threshold for the normal operation of any of the brands is 5,000 cars per year," Terlyukevich summed up.

The day before, it was reported that about a third of Chinese brands in Russia increased their discounts on new cars in the amount of 70-100 thousand rubles to maintain demand. Some brands offer discounts of 5-10% on cars manufactured in 2024, and for unclaimed equipment the discount can reach 15-20%.

On April 4, it became known that sales of new passenger cars in Russia in March 2025 amounted to 79.8 thousand units, which is 45.5% less than in March last year.