Age is being painted: why don't the most modern cars are produced in Russia?
The average model age of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles localized in Russia is approaching five years, Izvestia estimates. Experts explain this by the desire to restart car factories as quickly as possible after global brands leave the Russian market. Izvestia investigated whether to wait for more recent models to appear on the assembly lines of domestic enterprises.
Up to five and older
The average age of a foreign car model, the production of which is organized in Russian factories, is 4.8 years, Izvestia has established. The vast majority of such passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are of Chinese origin, some are produced under their own, some under new Russian brands. The age of AVTOVAZ's products as a national Russian manufacturer was not taken into account in the calculation.
If the calculation is based not on the time that has passed since the last facelift, but on the time that has passed since the premiere of the current generation of the car, then the average age may grow even more.
How to hide your age
Some models mask their age with frequent and large-scale restyling, while the technical part does not undergo significant changes. It is often stated that this is not a restyling, but a completely new generation of car, which confuses buyers.
For example, one of the bestsellers of the Russian market, Chery Tiggo 7 Pro, was first introduced in 2019, then updated several times, receiving the Max and L indexes. Now two versions of this car will be sold under the Tenet brand at once — an earlier one, 2023, will be added to the "fresh" model of 2025, albeit with an updated appearance in the style of the younger Tenet T4 model. In turn, the T4 traces its lineage back to the crossover shown at the Beijing Auto Show back in 2014.
The Moskvich 3 is based on the JAC JS4 model shown in 2020, but it is based on an earlier 2018 model.
The Haval M6 crossover, which is being produced in the Kaluga Region, is based on the H6 crossover platform, introduced back in 2011. The first generation of the M6 appeared in 2017, and in 2021, the model has changed significantly again, including the body and interior, but retained the 150-horsepower turbo engine combined with a robotic transmission and front-wheel drive. It is such a crossover that is assembled in Russia.
Haval Jolion, another bestseller on the market, is not young; it was introduced in China at the end of 2020, and in 2021 it entered the assembly line of a plant in the Tula region. Since then, the Russian Jolyon has gone through several upgrades, although it was discontinued in China in 2021.
Car upgrades are more frequent in China. So, in the local market, the Tiggo 7 has been updated once again, as well as another popular crossover in Russia, the Geely Monjaro. The "pre-reform" Monjaro will become the first model of the revived Volga brand.
Avtotor also has "age-related" models in the Sollers commercial line. The same can be said about the Solaris line of cars, consisting of budget models from Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia. Both sedans received Russian registration in 2017 and were seriously updated in 2020.
Engaged in rejuvenation
Earlier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade explained that manufacturers within the framework of the SPIC can adjust the program taking into account market conditions and sanctions. However, there is a risk that a more recent model from the Eastern partners may turn out to be more expensive. As an example, we can recall the Haval F7 of the second generation, which has significantly increased in price and left the bestseller list.
Domestic factories are still striving to update the model line. So, Moskvich limited itself to a small batch of crossovers with the index 5 and 8, which were announced in the production program, and focused on the release of more modern and advanced models under the letter M. AGR began production of fresh Jaecoo J6 and Omoda C5 crossovers. Evolute unexpectedly curtailed production of its i-Pro electric sedan in November last year. despite its popularity. The company explained the decision by saying that the life cycle of the model has been exhausted, and the market has become more competitive in three years. They relied on more modern electric vehicles, including the new-generation i-Joy crossover, as well as hybrids. At the same time, we managed to maintain an attractive price for the new i-Joy, including thanks to state subsidies for "green" transport.
Avtotor, which started by assembling "middle-aged" cars of the SWM, Kaiyi and BAIC brands, began adding more advanced Jetour, Changan Deepal and ROX models to its production line.
The only way for the automotive industry
The licensed assembly model that Russia has adopted does not, in principle, imply the production of new cars, Igor Morzharetto, partner of the Autostat analytical agency, told Izvestia. By itself, it is designed to produce not the most recent models, often versions of the previous generation, often already discontinued at the main enterprises or whose life cycle on the assembly line is nearing completion, he added.
— There is nothing terrible, offensive or shameful about this: Japan, South Korea, and China followed the same path at the time. And in the current conditions, licensed assembly is the only way the Russian car industry can go," the expert noted.
In 2022-2023, the task was to maximize the utilization of most of the stopped car factories and saturate the market with affordable cars, Igor Morzharetto emphasized. It was possible to quickly complete this task only by launching the production of simple and proven models that were guaranteed to be in demand by customers. These criteria were met by cars that, at the initial stage of the massive "reboot" of the Russian automotive industry, formed the basis of new domestic models, he said.
— Obviously, it was easier and faster to reach an agreement with foreign partners on production in our country with respect to not the most recent models. Due to this, it was possible, among other things, to ensure a more or less adequate price for cars of new and revived Russian brands," Igor Morzharetto told Izvestia.
To a lesser extent, the "novelty" of the basic model is relevant for commercial models, the partner of Autostat believes. In this market segment, unlike passenger cars, where both the fashion factor and the availability of various systems are important, "freshness" is not so important: it is difficult to come up with something fundamentally new in a van or truck, the expert noted.
Sollers launched its first commercial vehicles at the end of 2022, Marat Sharapov, the company's sales and marketing director, told Izvestia. The analysis confirmed that the empty market needs unpretentious cars.,
— At the first stage, Sollers commercial models received reliable and proven units with a high resource inherent in the design. Already in the middle of 2023, the production of commercial models switched to full—cycle technology, Russian factories launched the production of diesel engines and gearboxes, the cars themselves received domestic electronics and security systems," he recalled.
Marat Sharapov noted that last spring, production of the Sollers SF5 model, the first domestic van with an automatic transmission, was launched. This commercial vehicle received a fully galvanized body, modified according to the preferences of Russian users, a cabin interior with improved noise insulation, and a fully sheathed, protected cargo compartment, he stressed.
The key factor
The price is a key factor for the Russian consumer, the novelty of the car does not play such a decisive role, especially in the mass segment, says Anton Shaparin, vice president of the National Automobile Union (NAS). That is why AvtoVAZ models are in high demand in our market, many of which have their roots in the 1980s and 2000s, he notes.
— We must admit that the Russian automotive industry faced very serious difficulties a few years ago and the conclusion of contracts with new partners was based on the principle of "take what they give." In some cases, the models that began production in our country turned out to be in demand on the market, in some cases they were not very popular," the NAS Vice president states.
Now, unlike the situation three or four years ago, the situation in terms of the age of the "progenitor" cars has noticeably changed for the better, Anton Shaparin notes. Models Tenet, Jeland, the new Moskvich line, Deepal, future Volga cars, etc. are significantly more modern than those cars that appeared on the assembly lines of Russian car factories in 2022-2023.
— They are head and shoulders above the characteristics and modern systems of the first "Muscovites" or SWM. The machines that served as the basis for many of them are still relevant in the Chinese market. However, given the very rapid development of the automotive industry in China, they will cease to be modern after a while," he notes.
They won't be able to keep up
In the current conditions, Russian automakers will not be able to keep up with the frequently updated model lines of Chinese companies and will not do so, says Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine. This is due, among other things, to the high costs of localizing models already in production, he explained.
— After some time, the localization level of new Russian car models will obviously increase. But then the "progenitors" may already have a generation change or undergo a facelift. No one will start production, conditionally, of new headlights and stamp body parts of a new shape until the investments invested in creating local production of existing parts and components are recouped," he told Izvestia.
At the same time, experts interviewed by Izvestia note that licensed assembly implies not only the production of localized "clones" under a new brand, but also the creation of their own versions and new models based on them. An example of technical modernization and adaptation to Russian conditions is the spring suspension, which was used on the Sollers ST9 pickup truck.
— It was the ST9 that became the basis for the future all-wheel drive SUV Sollers S9, which we plan to bring to the market this year. This car, which is maximally adapted to the conditions of Russian operation, was developed, and is now being brought up and tested by our engineering team," Marat Sharapov told Izvestia.
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