Russian Auto Sales Hit 1.49M in 2025, Chinese Brands Take 57.2% Share

Sales of Chinese indigenous brands in Russia fell 20.5% year-on-year in 2025 to 850,000 units, down from 1.069 million in 2024.

The China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) has released an analytical report on the performance of Chinese automakers in the Russian market for 2025.

First, looking at the overall performance of the Russian market, data shows that Russian auto sales reached 150,000 units in December 2025, a year-on-year increase of 6%. The cumulative sales from January to December were 1.49 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 19%.

Examining the historical trend of market share in Russia, before the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Russian auto market was long dominated by foreign companies, with a relatively fragmented competitive landscape.

The main competitors in the Russian auto market were Korean, Japanese, and European automakers. Korean automakers held a market share of over 20%, while Chinese indigenous brands had less than 7% share in the local market.

After 2022, following the temporary withdrawal of many foreign automakers, the market share of Russian domestic automakers rapidly increased to 47.4% in 2023. In the same year, Chinese automakers quickly filled the premium market gap left by the exit of European and American companies, achieving a market share of 50.3%.

By December 2025, the market share of Chinese indigenous automakers in Russia rebounded to 54.7%. Their share for the January-December period rebounded to 57.2%.

It is important to note that the sales volume of Chinese indigenous brands in the Russian market for 2025 was 850,000 units, a decline of 20.5% compared to 1.069 million units in 2024. The report points out that the core reason for the sharp sales decrease is the economic recession in Russia and low consumer confidence leading to the sales downturn.

Furthermore, Chinese automakers had accumulated inventory equivalent to 4-6 months of sales due to earlier stockpiling. Simultaneously, Russian consumers shifted towards the used car market. This imbalance between supply and demand, along with inventory backlog, further compressed demand for new vehicles. However, indigenous brands withstood the pressure and managed to achieve a recovery in market share.

Specifically regarding the performance of various indigenous brands in the Russian market.

Data shows that the Chery Group performed particularly strongly in the local market, with overall 2025 sales of 246,000 units. However, compared to 320,000 units in 2024, this represents a year-on-year decrease of 23%. Next are Great Wall Motors and Geely Group, with sales of 198,000 and 178,000 units respectively.

Looking at brand performance within each group, the Haval brand under Great Wall Motors stood out, becoming the only single brand to exceed 100,000 units in sales, with a single-brand sales volume of 173,000 units.

Looking at the new energy vehicle sector overall, plug-in hybrid sales increased by 3% year-on-year in 2025, pure electric vehicle sales decreased by 55% year-on-year, and fuel vehicle sales decreased by 19% year-on-year. However, December already showed a recovery with high growth performance in new energy vehicles.

Among them, brands with relatively outstanding performance include Li Auto and Dongfeng Group, both exceeding 10,000 units in sales.

In terms of growth rate, Geely Auto became the focus with a growth rate of 1813%, followed by Denza and BYD with growth rates of 816% and 136% respectively.