But I didn't give it to this one: why there are fewer auto premieres in Russia
The number of new car products in Russia has decreased significantly compared to last year. At the same time, the market prospects of the models officially introduced in our country recently are completely different: some "debutantes" sell thousands of copies, while others sell several dozen pieces. Izvestia investigated the reasons for the decrease in the number of auto premieres, as well as the successes and failures of new models.
Year after year is not necessary
In the first half of the year, about 20 new cars appeared on the Russian market. This was announced by Sergey Tselikov, General Director of the analytical agency Autostat. At the same time, according to the agency, more than 100 new car models appeared in our country last year.
— Last year and the year before, the market was filled with new models. This was also facilitated by a decent pace of car sales. Now, against the background of declining sales, we can see a decrease in the number of new products that appear in our country. Some models are being completely rejected from entering the Russian market, while others are postponing the timing of their appearance," Sergei Tselikov told Izvestia.
Somewhere thick, somewhere empty
The General Director of Autostat noted that the sales results of new car products that have appeared in Russia since the beginning of this year are uneven. Thus, the extended Chery Tiggo 7L crossover introduced in April sold 2,691 copies as of the end of June, which, according to Sergey Tselikov, is "a good result in a declining market." Another novelty, the Haval H7 mid-size crossover, found 1,216 buyers in four months (from March to June inclusive). The 769 Tank 400 premium crossovers sold since February, taking into account the not very "humane" prices, can also be considered a good result, especially given the general decline in sales of new cars. According to the expert, the new mid-size "SUV" GAC GS4 (306 cars sold since mid-March) also "definitely has a prospect." According to Tselikov, 238 Omoda C7 crossovers purchased in a month (sales began at the end of May) can also be called a success.
At the same time, the CEO of Autostat gives examples of frankly disastrous debuts. So, the KGM car brand, which entered our market in early March with four models at once, registered with the State Traffic Inspectorate by the end of June, according to the EPTS, a total of 137 cars — 51 Torres, 50 Korando, 20 Rexton and 16 Tivoli. Moreover, a significant part of them are dealer cars designed for customer test drives. Against this background, the plans announced by the brand's top managers in February to sell 20,000 cars by the end of 2025 look unworkable. The 87 ROX 01 hybrids sold since mid-February and the 50 Bestune T90 crossovers sold since the end of January also do not inspire much optimism.
Taking into account market realities
The last 2-3 years have been a period of emergency replacement of departed Western brands, when the market was literally flooded with new Chinese models to fill the vacuum, says Irina Frank, CEO of Frank Auto. By 2025, this initial stage was completed, and importers switched to a more systematic and selective expansion of the model range, focusing on the most promising cars for Russia, she notes.
"Manufacturers and importers have begun to take into account the real capacity of the market, which is showing a decline in 2025, and concentrate resources on promoting the lines already presented, rather than on endless expansion," she emphasizes.
Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, also believes that the decline in the number of new car products presented in our country is directly related to the general situation with car sales.
"By the end of the year, most likely, we will see about 40-50 new models, including domestic manufacturers, as well as restyled models that have appeared in dealers," he shared his forecast with Izvestia.
Sergey Tselikov, General Director of Autostat, also believes that this year it is unlikely that more than fifty new car products will be presented on our market.
They know what they're taking
Igor Morzharetto, partner of Autostat, is convinced that the situation in which one new car model turned out to be successful and another failed in the market is primarily related to the brand's recognition, as well as the pricing policy of the automaker.
— The Chegu brand has been operating in Russia for more than 20 years and is now one of the market leaders. The brands Omoda, Haval and Tank are also well known to Russian customers. Therefore, it is not surprising that the models presented by these companies turned out to be quite successful, even despite the general decline in sales of new cars," he told Izvestia.
The situation is the opposite for KGM, Bestune, and ROX brands, the expert is convinced. Potential buyers need to be told what kind of company it is, what a car under this brand is, and what its advantage is. At the same time, for the South Korean automaker KGM, it is also aggravated by clearly inflated prices for models.
— It's not enough to say that KGM is the former SsangYoung, which few people in our country will actually remember — these cars were not particularly popular in Russia. So you also need to convince the buyer to purchase a car that is one and a half, or even two times more expensive than a similar, already well-known Chinese model. Just mentioning "real Korean quality" is clearly not enough for market success," says Igor Morzharetto.
Maxim Kadakov agrees that KGM's low sales are primarily due to their initial high cost. This explains the significant discounts that dealers are now offering.
— They reach 1 million rubles, and even more. However, even with such discounts, cars still turn out to be more expensive than competitors," he states.
The success of some models like the Chery Tiggo 7 L, Omoda C7 and Exlantix ET is due to a combination of proper positioning and pricing, notes Irina Frank. The failure of the KGM, Bestune T90 and other models is due to poor brand recognition, as well as the lack of a well-developed dealer and service network, which is critical for after-sales service, she believes.
— Inadequate pricing and late entry into the market, when competitors have already occupied niches, also played a negative role. The lack of a clear sales offer against the background of strong competitors led to low customer interest and meager sales in the first months, explains Irina Frank.
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