Top C+ Class Sedans Competing with Lada Vesta in Russian Car Market

The Russian car market is booming, and in January-April 2024, sales almost returned to pre-crisis levels, largely due to materiality. price reduction for Chinese cars. AVTOVAZ has also brought back its prices a bit by introducing cheaper trim levels, but it still faced direct competition from foreign cars. Below is a selection of the five most obvious competitors of the Lada Vesta, which now costs from 1.5 to 2.4 million rubles (we are waiting price increase in May). In any case, the management of AVTOVAZ is already recommended put a magical recycling tax on the “Chinese”so within a year Vesta can again be uncontested in its price segment.

The Livan brand has no relation to the Middle Eastern state and belongs to Geely, which bought the remnants of the broken Lifan company (once popular in Russia). Livan X3 Pro is a redesign of the Geely Vision X3. This is a small crossover with a length of only 4005 mm, that is, a step more compact than the Kia Soul or Hyundai Creta. In terms of features, it does not compete with Vesta, but with the outgoing Kalina/Granta hatchback. The 1.5-liter engine develops 103 hp, but the CVT is already included in the basic configuration, which costs, including a direct discount, from 1.559 million rubles, that is, almost the same as the base Lada Vesta. At the same time, Livan’s equipment is richer: immediately there are alloy wheels, sunroof, leatherette seat trim, ABS, stabilization system, multimedia system with 8-inch screen, cruise control, and air conditioning. True, heated seats and several other options are available in the second configuration, which costs from 1.68 million rubles. Vesta has heated seats in the version for 1.592 million rubles.

Traditionally, such compact cars are not in great demand in Russia, and despite the status of the cheapest foreign car, at the end of last year the Livan X3 Pro sold 2.5 thousand units. But everything would have changed if there were no duties: in China, a model with a CVT costs from 68 thousand yuan (884 thousand rubles), but 646 thousand rubles are added at customs. In general, sky-high prices for small Chinese cars are explained not even by the greed of sellers, but by the government’s efforts to protect AVTOVAZ and other Russian manufacturers from competition.

The Changan Alsvin sedan has been produced in China since 2009, and the second generation dates back to 2012, that is, the model is very old. True, it was brought to us in a version after restyling 2018, and in many ways it is close to the first generation Hyundai Solaris. So, the length of 4.39 meters is just a fraction less than the “Korean”.

The car is equipped with a 1.5-liter 98-horsepower engine and a non-selective robotic dual-clutch transmission. The transmission, by the way, is five-speed, which is unusual for this type of gearbox.

But Changan Alsvin is a Chinese low-cost airline for Russia: Chinese brands usually avoid bringing us B-class sedans. Including direct benefits, the price starts from 1.65 million rubles. Moreover, in China this version is half the price: 62 thousand yuan or 800 thousand rubles. But customs duties only add 614 thousand rubles, and half of these payments are made up of recycling fees, a sharp increase in which AVTOVAZ is lobbying.

But the Alsvin is immediately well equipped: stabilization system, air conditioning, rear view camera, multimedia system, and so on are already in the database. Despite this, the car has not yet become a best seller: only 4.2 thousand sedans were sold last year, so it is not a leader even among the Changans.

The Russian brand, which makes copies of Chinese JACs at a former Renault plant, had problems last year with overstocked warehouses and a significant reduction in prices for two of its models – “troika” and “sixa”. At the same time, Moskvich-3 fell in price by 630 thousand rubles, that is, by more than a quarter. Now the cost of a crossover made in 2023 starts from 1.59 million rubles, cars of the new year – from 1.655 million Even the most expensive versions of Moskvich in Comfort configuration are much cheaper than the previous base price – 1.865 million rubles.

Moskvich-3 is equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine, reduced to 136 hp last year, and a manual or CVT transmission. But the drive is only front wheel drive. The equipment, like those of other Chinacars, is not poor: a suspension system, a sunroof, climate control, multimedia, and parking sensors are already in the database (but traditionally heated seats start with the second configuration, at a price from 1.601 million rubles). .

By the way, the price reduction brought results: in April 2024 alone, Moskvich sold 2.2 thousand cars, and since the beginning of the year – almost 7 thousand. For comparison, at the end of last year, 13 thousand cars were sold out of 31 thousand collected in the capital. Moskvich still has a tendency towards the “troika”: at the end of April, the second model, Moskvich-6, accounted for only 9% of sales.

Built on the Volvo BMA platform, the new Geely Emgrand debuted last year, and at the beginning of this year the base price dropped to 1.85 million rubles, taking into account the direct discount, which makes it one of the most affordable C + class sedans (the size of Toyota Corolla, Skoda Octavia, etc.). The basic version has two airbags, ABS, ESP, air conditioning, multimedia, but on steel wheels, with halogen lights and without heated seats. Engine – 1.5-liter 122-horsepower. For 2.06 million, a version with a six-speed automatic transmission is offered (it has instantly heated seats).

The Geely Emgrand surpasses the Lada Vesta in a size class and competes with the top versions of the standard sedan (non-Cross), with a similar equipment set. In China, the model costs about 90 thousand yuan (1.17 million rubles), but the Russian price is raised by a duty of 757 thousand rubles as well as higher logistics costs.

At the beginning of the year, the production of four Korean models began at the old Hyundai plant near St. Petersburg, according to official information – from the remaining vehicle facilities. The company is now owned by Russia’s AGR Automotive Group. The model, previously known as the Hyundai Solaris, is called the Solaris HS, and will compete with equipped versions of the Lada Vesta.

Solaris has very unusual prices, for example, versions with a 1.4-liter or 1.6-liter engine with manual transmission or CVT cost almost the same: 2.01–2.019 million rubles, and even the the top-end Elegance trim levels are priced at 2.17 million

For this money, the Lada Vesta is offered in the Cross version with more permission, with a 1.8-liter engine and CVT, and in one of the Techno machines at the end. Taking into account the small difference between Solaris trim levels, there is no global difference with Vesta, but still the Russian model is equipped a little more luxuriously: for example, it will have a 10-inch multimedia screen and a 17 light -inch- alloy wheels. On the other hand, Solaris HS offers a wide range of equipment, including winter options and a stable system not available for Vesta, side airbags and curtain airbags, heated rear seats, and so on forward.

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