Western Cars still โขRolling in Russia โคDespite Sanctions: How Are They Getting There?
Moscow, Russia – despite โขsweeping international sanctions โขimposed following โคthe โฃconflict in Ukraine, sales of European, American, Japanese, โand โKorean vehicles in Russia haven’t just stopped – they’re surprisingly growing. New data from automotive โspecialist Jato Dynamics,โ reported byโค Motor, reveals a complex and evolving automotiveโ landscapeโ in the country.
When major โฃWestern automakers likeโข Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, and Renault exited the Russian market following the outbreak of war, they left behindโ established infrastructure and production facilities. This created a vacuum quickly filled by Chinese โmanufacturers, who now dominate the Russianโข market.They’ve even secured agreements โto โproduceโ models under โrecognizable Russian brands, such as โMoskvitch.
According to recent figures from the Russian Traffic โคSafety Directorate (GIBDD), chineseโ automakersโค now control a commanding 56% of the Russian car market.Combined โขwith domestic Russian brands, which holdโ 34% of the share, they account for a staggering 90% โof all new car sales.
But what accounts for the remaining 10%? the answer lies in a network of “parallel imports” and a โฃresilient consumer โdemand for familiar brands.
Leadingโค this surprising segment is Solaris,โข a Russian company now assembling Hyundaiโ and Kia vehicles without โofficial licensing at the former Hyundai factory in St. Petersburg. The factory is currently producing models based on the Hyundai Creta, Kia โขRio, and Hyundai Accent, rebranded โคas the โSolaris HC, KR, and HS respectively.
Solaris currently โleads the pack with 10,500 units sold, followed by โtoyota (nearlyโข 7,800 units, ranking 15th), BMW (5,300, 18th), Mercedes โค(4,000), Hyundai (3,200),โค and Kia (3,000).
This continuedโค flow of Western โvehicles isโ largely attributed to individuals importing carsโฃ directlyโ fromโ China, Korea, and Europe, utilizing Central Asian countries – notably Kazakhstan – asโ key transitโข hubs. โIn the first half โขof 2025 alone, approximately 39,000 Western-made vehicles were registered in Russia throughโ these parallel import channels.
The situation highlights the challenges of enforcing sanctions and the ingenuityโ of โฃboth consumers and importers in circumventing โthem, demonstrating aโ surprising resilience โin theโ demand for Western automotive brands โฃwithin the Russian market.
Keywords: Russia, car sales, sanctions, automotiveโฃ industry, China, parallel imports, Hyundai,โฃ Kia, โToyota, BMW, mercedes, Jato Dynamics, GIBDD, solaris, Kazakhstan.