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- To whom everything is parallel: Russians are buying up cars of "global" brands assembled in China
To whom everything is parallel: Russians are buying up cars of "global" brands assembled in China
The volume of car imports through alternative channels has increased dramatically in Russia. 70% of these cars are made in China, and the vast majority are models of so-called global brands. Importers and experts consider the current growth to be "excessive" and note that it is temporary. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Everything is parallel to us
In the first four months, 53.5 thousand new cars were imported into our country through alternative import channels. This was announced by Sergey Tselikov, General Director of the analytical agency Autostat. This figure is 94% more than in January – April last year, he noted. The growth is marked for the first time in the last two years, the head of Autostat emphasized.
"Before that, alternative imports had been declining for two years: by 20% in 2024 and by 5% last year,— Sergey Tselikov cited the data.
Toyota became the most popular "alternative" brand (9210 cars) (+107%). Mazda is in second place (6336 units), the import of cars of this brand increased 6.5 times compared to last year. BMW closes the top three with 4,764 cars, an increase of 20%. Volkswagen (4,115 units, +269%) and Audi (3,873 vehicles, +416%) also entered the top five. Mercedes-Benz is in sixth position with a score of 3079 cars (+33%), Geely is in seventh place (2612 units, +11%). The top 10 brands are Honda (2,158 cars, +349%), Kia (2,042 units, +110%) and Skoda (1,875 units, +286%).
According to the results of four months, the Mazda CX5 — 5801 car is in the lead in the "personal standings". Next are the Toyota RAV4 (3327 units) and Hihglander (3067 cars). The fourth place belongs to Audi Q5 (2,268 units), the fifth to BMW X3 (1,608 cars). The second "five" is opened by the Skoda Superb (1,475 units), followed by the VW Tiguan (1,452 cars) with a slight lag. Completing the top ten most popular "alternative" car models are Geely Monjaro (1,442 copies), Toyota Camry (1,390 cars) and Nissan Qashqai (1,390 cars).
On the hype
The key reason for the growth was the expected change in the rules for importing cars by individuals through the EAEU countries from April 1, said Irina Frank, CEO of Frank Auto. Importers and individuals sought to import cars at the old, lower recycling rates, she explained. However, the introduction of new requirements was postponed indefinitely.
— The effect of a low base also played a role: in March last year, imports were weak due to large inventory balances and the previous increase in recycling. As a result, in March 2026, the share of alternative imports reached 49% of the total volume of imported new cars," Irina Frank noted.
Thus, the current surge in interest in "alternative" models has largely been hyped and has provided the market with a significant stock of cars, the expert notes. The CEO of Frank Auto predicts that there will be no steady growth in the import of such cars by the end of the year.
— Parallel import has already transformed from a temporary measure into a systemic, albeit niche business. It will continue to work for those models that are not officially presented, but at the same time their "economy" will deteriorate due to increased costs. In the medium term, the market will stabilize due to the strengthening of official Chinese brands and the development of local production, which is becoming necessary for manufacturers to maintain prices," believes Irina Frank.
In addition to these factors, the market for cars imported through alternative channels is supported by a comfortable ruble-yuan exchange rate, said Nikolai Ivanov, Rolf's new car sales director. This creates attractive pricing for a number of models, he notes.
— If we talk about the growth prospects, in absolute terms, the volume of alternative imports may increase along with the market. But as a percentage of the total volume, most likely, the segment will remain approximately at the current level — about 14% of the new car market," Nikolai Ivanov shared his forecast with Izvestia.
The power of the brand
Experts explain the interest in specific models primarily by the strength of brands familiar to Russians, high residual value and customer trust.
Despite the growth in the quality of Chinese cars, trust in Toyota, Mazda, Audi, BMW, VW and other well-known brands is still higher among some of the audience, explains Nikolai Ivanov.
"When the price difference between a conventional Chinese crossover and a car of a Japanese or European brand is not so significant, many customers begin to consider alternative imports," he said.
Mazda and Toyota remain a benchmark of quality for many, and people are not yet ready to change them to new Chinese models, which they treat with caution, Irina Frank believes. Also, for most "alternative" models, savings on recycling play a key role.
— Most popular versions of these machines are equipped with engines with a capacity of up to 160 hp, which allows them to be imported at discounted rates. In addition, logistics chains have been established: almost 70% of alternative import vehicles are manufactured in China. This has created conditions for the supply of affordable cars of "global" brands produced in Chinese factories," she said.
If a couple of years ago some consumers were quite wary of cars imported using alternative imports, now there are noticeably fewer such concerns, says Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine.
— People have seen that there is nothing wrong with the "alternative" models, there are no difficulties with their repair, maintenance, or the search for spare parts. So why not take a model of a well-known brand, especially if you have previously had experience operating the same Toyota or Mazda, even if it was released in China? — Maxim Kadakov noted.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
