AvtoVAZ and Chinese automakers have boosted their share of the Russian market as others exit.
REUTERS
The assembly line of AvtoVAZ's Lada plant in Izhevsk is pictured.
AvtoVAZ, Russia’s biggest automaker, increased its share of the local market last month despite failing to overcome a decline in annual sales, while Chinese companies also took advantage of an exodus of western companies.
Almost all automakers working in Russia stopped production in the country after President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine led to sanctions that crimped supplies of parts.
AvtoVAZ, which resumed production in June, boosted market share of its Lada brand to 43.4 percent in August from 17.5 percent a year earlier with 18,087 units sold.
August sales of automobiles and light commercial vehicles in Russia declined by 62 percent against the same month a year earlier compared with a decline of 75 percent in July, according to data published Tuesday by the Association of European Business that exclude some manufacturers.
Month-on-month they rose by almost 29 percent to 41,698 units.
China’s Great Wall boosted sales of its Haval brand by 26 percent and increased its share of the market overall to 7.5 percent versus 2.1 percent the previous year.
While sales of Geely Automobile Holdings declined by 8.1 percent, its share increased to 4.8 percent.(Source:Bloomberg)