(Reuters) – Car sales in Russia rose 151.8% year-on-year in June, analytical agency Autostat said on Wednesday, continuing to rebound from a dramatic car industry slump in 2022.
Russia’s auto industry had been heavily reliant on investment, equipment and parts from overseas and was hit hard by the fallout from Western sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.
Sales of new cars plunged 59% last year and many foreign automakers withdrew from the Russian market entirely.
Autostat, citing data from its partner consulting company PPK, said 82,407 vehicles were sold in June, up from 72,171 in May, but compared with a paltry 32,731 in June 2022.
Russia’s Lada held onto the number one spot in the domestic market in June and grew its market share for the first half of the year to 33.5% from 20.8% in 2022.
Lada maker Avtovaz said its June sales had jumped almost four times compared with a year ago.
Six of the top 10 brands by market share are Chinese automakers, such as Haval, Chery and Geely, which continue to fill the vacuum left by departing Western firms.
(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Alex Richardson, Robert Birsel)
