Alikhanov announced Lixiang's plans to open a dealership in Russia by the end of the year

Chinese automaker Li Auto (Lixiang) plans to open a dealership in Russia by the end of the year. This was announced on September 25 by Anton Alikhanov, head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, in an interview with Rossiya-24 TV channel.

"We discussed it with them, and they planned to open the dealer this fall. Therefore, I think that, probably, by the end of the year, all these procedures should be completed. In any case, we have now connected them with our certification bodies, with our institute, and we will help them in this matter," TASS quoted him as saying.

The minister noted that in 2024, almost 23 thousand cars of this brand were imported to Russia through parallel import channels.

"Unfortunately, they do not service cars in the country, that is, there is no normal service, normal updates. And we agreed with them that they would come with the registration of the vehicle type, go through all the necessary procedures, and open dealers," he shared.

In the spring of this year, Sinomach Auto distributor announced Lixiang's entry into the Russian market, plans to expand the brand's dealer network in Russia to 60 enterprises and the intention to sell 12 thousand cars by the end of the year.

In May, Sinomach Auto stated that, together with Li Auto, it was studying measures to combat unofficial Lixiang car dealers in the Russian Federation who violate service standards using gray schemes. Among them, the blocking of the multimedia system of cars imported illegally into Russia was mentioned. In June, she announced that owners of Li Auto cars that were imported into the Russian Federation using alternative schemes would be able to link their car to a personal master account, which would allow them to receive service from authorized dealers.

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On August 26, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation announced that Alikhanov tested a new model of the Chinese electric minivan Lixiang Mega during a visit to the Li Auto production site in China, and this car is being prepared for entry into the Russian market.

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