Russia Full Year 2012: Lada Priora #1, Granta 4,800 sales below in record year

Lada Granta

* See the Top 56 All-brands (annual and monthly) and Top 25 models by clicking on the title *

There is now a Top 333 All-models ranking available here

While the rest of Europe was slowly but surely falling back into recession, the Russian new car market delivers a record year in 2012: up 11% to 2,935,111 registrations, beating the 2,704,040 units sold in 2008 before the global financial crisis. Model-wise, it was a year of transition between the Lada Kalina, #1 in 2011 and atop the monthly ranking 6 times in the first 7 months of the year and other ‘prehistorical’ Ladas (Samara, 2105-7) and the all-new Lada Granta, #1 from September onwards. However weaker Kalina sales in the last quarter and a relatively late bloom of the Granta put the… Lada Priora in pole position over the Full Year 2012 for only the 2nd time after 2009 with 125,951 sales and 4.3% (-9%), even though it only ranked #1 in February & August.

The 27 millionth Lada was a Priora…

Less than 5,000 units below we find the Lada Granta with 121,151 units and 4.1% share. It made its first official appearance within the monthly Top 25 in January at #21, broke into the Top 10 in February and into the Top 5 in March but had to wait until August to climb onto the podium before taking the lead in September and staying there, peaking at 14,197 sales and 5.6% in October. The Kalina is down 2 ranks and 16% to #3 at 119,890 units while the Hyundai Solaris remains the most popular foreign model, up 14% and one spot on 2011 to #4 with 110,776 sales, to my knowledge the first time a foreign model sells over 100,000 annual units in Russia. The Solaris even ranked #2 overall in February and May.

Chevrolet Cruze. Picture by Roger-Diesel, all rights reserved.

Below the Ford Focus up 14% to #5, the Kia Rio impresses, gaining 70% and 6 ranks to #6 at 84,730 units. The Chevrolet Cruze also shines: up 68% and 9 spots to #9 with 63,181 sales while the Skoda Octavia is up 27% to #15. Apart from the Granta, there are 4 newcomers in the Russian Top 25 in 2012: the best-performing is the Renault Duster lading directly at #17 with 47,344 units and peaking at a fantastic #5 in December. It is followed by the Toyota Camry up 61% to #20, the Kia Sportage up 37% to #22 and the VW Tiguan up 70% to #25.

Previous post: Russia December 2012: Renault Duster breaks into Top 5

Previous year: Russia Full Year 2011: Lada Kalina leads for the first time

Full Year 2012 Top 25 models and Top 56 All-brands below.

Every monthly Top 55 All-brands for January-December 2012 below.