Have you had enough: sales of premium Chinese cars have collapsed in Russia
Against the background of a general decline in the market by about 18%, sales of a number of luxury brands in China fell several times at once. At the same time, these cars were regularly included in the top 10 most popular models before. Experts attribute the decline in interest in Chinese premium models to their high cost and the fact that they have already gone out of fashion. And the owners of such cars complain about rusting bodies and problems with electronics. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Below the market
In 11 months, total new car sales in Russia decreased by 17.8%. At the same time, as follows from the statistics provided by the analytical agency Autostat-Info at the request of Izvestia, the interest of Russians in premium cars from China has decreased significantly more. For a number of Chinese luxury brands, sales have more than doubled.
For example, Lixiang has seen a 45% decrease in the number of cars sold in 11 months compared to the same period last year. At the same time, at the beginning of last year, cars of this brand occupied 7-8 places in the top ten most popular models in the Russian Federation. For a long time, they were sold exclusively by "gray" dealers. The appearance of an official distributor of the brand in Russia this spring with service and warranty did not save Lixiang from almost doubling: in January—November of this year, 11.6 thousand cars were sold, while in 11 months of last year, Russians purchased 21.2 thousand cars. The largest decrease was shown by the flagship crossover Li 9 (-74.8%, 2169 cars). At the same time, a significant increase is noted in the most affordable Li 6 model (+100.8%).
Previously sought-after Zeekrs, which are still supplied only through alternative channels, are also sharply losing their positions. From January to November inclusive, a little more than 2.9 thousand cars of this brand were sold, while a year earlier more than 7.2 thousand Russian buyers became owners of Zikrov. Almost the entire model range is among the outsiders: the relatively affordable crossover 001 (-69.1%, 1,469 units), the premium electric sedan 007 (-55.4%, 168 cars), the flagship minivan 009 (-37.1%, 409 units). The appearance of the Zeekr 7X compact crossover on the market (505 cars sold in 2025 versus 11 cars in 2024) did not particularly affect the situation.
The premium Tank brand, which belongs to the Great Wall Motor concern and was initially officially introduced in our country, has also sunk more than the market as a whole. Models of this brand sold 16.6 thousand units in 11 months, which is 37.1% worse than in the same period last year, when more than 26.3 thousand "Tanks" were sold. Sales of the 300 model dropped significantly (by 48.2%) (8.3 thousand units now versus 16.1 thousand cars a year earlier), and the number of 500 SUVs sold almost doubled (9.9 thousand to 4.9 thousand). A significant (hundreds of times) increase in sales of the "400" (2.1 thousand cars) and "700" (1.2 thousand cars) models will be explained by the fact that these models appeared on the market only at the very end of last year (96 and 209 cars sold in 2024).
A drop in sales is also observed in the segment of significantly more expensive luxury Chinese brands. So, Yangwang "collapsed" by 73.7%: only 40 cars were sold instead of 152 a year ago. HiPhi is not much better (-61.5%) — 45 cars against 117. However, even the cars of this brand sold this year were released in early 2024, or even in 2023 — last spring, the HiPhi brand was declared bankrupt and closed its only factory near Shanghai.
We went to the "plus"
Against the background of a general decline in sales of premium and luxury models of Chinese automakers, some brands of the premium segment still show positive dynamics in our market. Such brands include Avatr, which increased sales by 65.5% in 11 months, selling just over 1.1 thousand cars since the beginning of the year (667 units in January—November 2024). Hongqi is also doing well: cars of this brand sold 8.7 thousand units, which is 37.2% better than a year earlier (6.3 thousand cars).
Voyah is also doing relatively well, as it is the only premium Chinese automaker that produces cars in our country, at a factory in the Lipetsk region. Following the results of 11 months, there was a decrease in sales (-5%, 7.9 thousand cars). However, they are noticeably lower than the overall reduction in the entire automotive market, including the mass segment of cars.
The Voyah press service drew attention to the fact that in February-April 2024, there was a peak in the activity of importing stamps under parallel import schemes at low prices.
"If we compare the market after the restriction of this scheme (May—November last year to the same period of the current year), the market fell by 14%, while the Voyah brand grew by 60%," the company's press service noted.
The body is rusting, the electronics are buggy
Against the background of an increase in the fleet of premium Chinese cars (Hongqi, Lixiang, Tank, Voyah, Zeekr, etc.), the number of car arrivals of these models to technical centers is growing, according to the Fit Service car service network. Most of the visits are related to scheduled maintenance, not breakdowns, the company emphasizes. According to Nikita Rodionov, Technical director of Fit Service, the most in—demand services for these brands are diagnostics, tire service, oil and filter replacement.
— In addition to diagnostics and maintenance, the owners of these models come to the service with questions about electrical equipment. Telematics, cameras, and dashboards may malfunction periodically. Electronics can fail due to failures of sensors, multimedia and software, especially in the cold," the technical director of Fit Service told Izvestia.
However, these problems are found in most modern cars, regardless of the country of manufacture, the expert emphasized. This is due to the increase in electronic stuffing, he explained.
Nikita Rodionov also notes the low corrosion resistance of the Chinese premium, especially door sills and wheel arches. This is also a common problem for many modern cars operated in conditions of Russian winters, reagents and temperature fluctuations, he said.
According to a study conducted by the analytical center of the Sidorin Lab agency, Russian owners most often complain about the tendency to corrosion of premium Chinese cars (brands Lixiang, Zeekr, Exeed, Tank, Hongqi, Wey). In addition, the Zeekr models have problems with the braking system, and the Lixiang models have problems with the climate system. Voyah and Exlantix cars have electronics failures, and the owners of Wey, Hongqi and Aito complain about the high cost of spare parts.
Expensive and not fashionable
A significant part of premium Chinese cars were supplied according to gray schemes, mainly to private traders, including bypassing the established rules of customs clearance and certification, Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, told Izvestia. Due to this, the prices for such cars were relatively affordable, he noted.
— Last year, they began to actively tighten the screws on such schemes. This led to an increase in importers' costs for the official customs clearance of these vehicles and their certification. As a result, their prices rose and a certain part of the buyers could not afford these cars. At the same time, in some cases, potential consumers have paid attention to the "official" models imported by distributors rather than private traders, especially since the purchase of an "official" car is provided with a factory warranty, easier and faster repairs and maintenance, and guarantees the legal "purity" of the car. This explains the serious decline in some brands and the growth in sales of other brands," Maxim Kadakov told Izvestia.
Another reason for the decrease in Russians' interest in a number of Chinese premium models, according to Igor Morzharetto, a partner at the Autostat analytical agency, is that these cars have lost their novelty effect and are no longer fashionable. This is a very important indicator for buyers of premium models, he emphasizes.
— The same Lixiang or Zeekr were a trend a couple of years ago. Against the background of the withdrawal of the usual premium car brands from Russia, they actually broke through a kind of dam, filling the vacuum in this sector of the car market. But now these models have become familiar on the roads, they no longer produce the same effect that is important to the owners of such cars. Roughly speaking, potential buyers have already had enough of them," Igor Morzharetto believes.
At the same time, companies that regularly update and supplement their product range are doing well, even against the background of a general drop in sales, Igor Morzharetto notes. As an example, he cited the Hongqi brand, which this year introduced several new models to the Russian market.
Redevelopment of the market
The decline in sales of many Chinese premium models is not just a consequence of the general market situation, but the result of the structural crisis of the previous business model based on alternative imports, which faced administrative and economic barriers, said Irina Frank, CEO of Frank Auto. In her opinion, the key turning points were the tightening of customs control and additional duties on imports through the EAEU countries.
"This decision dealt a devastating blow to the economy of parallel imports, making them noticeably more expensive and riskier — as a result, the consumer was faced with an increased price," she said.
In addition, according to Irina Frank, against the background of underdeveloped infrastructure and rising electricity prices, demand has shifted towards more practical hybrid models. This explains why Lixiang, which offers hybrid powertrain models, is losing sales, but it is showing a different scale of decline compared to the purely electric Zeekr. The buyer of the premium segment began to consider not only the status, but also the total cost of ownership and operational readiness, she explained.
— Thus, we are witnessing a painful but logical transition from the period of "wild" parallel imports, when the market was flooded with relatively affordable niche novelties, to the stage of harsh reality. Success requires either an official status and a built-in service network, or a unique offer like Hongqi or the high-tech Avatr, which justifies all the associated difficulties and costs for a narrow audience, Irina Frank is sure.
In her opinion, in 2026, car brands that remain in the gray area without plans for legalization and do not want to adapt the model range to local preferences will continue to rapidly lose the market. In these countries, only premium brands with impeccable legitimacy or absolute exclusivity will survive, she predicts.
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