Two varieties of sausage: what covid and sanctions have turned the Russian car market into
What was before? Fifty famous brands from all over the world – from Japan, Korea, Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain, Czech Republic, China. Yes, yes, from China too, but quite a bit. Like that smoky egg powder, for amateurs. Everything was for sale – even for the most perverted taste. Cars are cheap, expensive, super-expensive, sports, comfortable, small, large, prestigious, utilitarian, low, high… Black top – white bottom, white top – black bottom, lacquered, burgundy, with a buckle, with a button.
Only you, dear comrade from Paris, spit on all this now. Saliva. For what was – you can not turn back. Now, only two varieties of sausage are planned in our country in commercial volumes – domestic and Chinese. And forget about this aforementioned spectrum, as about a sweet dream. There will be little-known nameplates, expensive cars, the quality ranging from none to acceptable. All. Disputes about real Japanese or German reliability are a thing of the past, as is the confrontation between Bavaria fans and Stuttgart fans.
New times have come
Actually, automotive analysts have already figured this out for a long time, but they don’t advertise it too much. Since the beginning of the year, sales volumes have been growing, but the ratios between brands have changed slightly. Here are the top five manufacturers and their market share in April: Lada – 33.4%, Chery – 12.2%, Haval – 9.0%, Geely – 9.4%, Kia – 4.5%. Compare with January of this year: Lada – 39%, Chery – 12.2%, Haval – 9.1%, Geely – 7.7%, Kia – 5.1%. And now let’s remember the cases of bygone days – pre-sanctions 2021. Who ruled there? That’s right, Lada, Kia, Renault, Hyundai, Skoda. As they say, feel the difference.
