Russia January 2012: Lada Granta finally launches

February 9, 2012
Matt Gasnier

Lada Granta

* See the Top 25 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

In January the Russian car market continues to rise to unseen heights, up 20% year-on-year to 154,406 registrations. The big event this month is the arrival of a new Lada nameplate in the ranking: the Lada Granta at #21 with 1,967 sales and 1.3%, sales figures that will undoubtedly shoot up in the coming months. We have been waiting for the Granta for no less than 18 months! Officially presented at the Moscow Motor Show in August 2010, its name was chosen out of 169,000 suggestions posted by the Russian public, with the winner, a Krasnoyarsk local, pocketing the 26th million Lada produced (a Kalina sedan).

Welcoming a new nameplate in the Lada range is a pretty rare event: it is only the third time in the last 16 years this happens: the 110 Series launched in 1995, the Kalina in November 2004 and Priora in March 2007. The Lada Granta will replace two monuments: the 32 year-old 2104-7 (or “Classic”) and the 28 year-old Samara. These two veterans still sold a total of 235,000 units in Russia in 2011 so the bar is high for the Granta.

From 8 September 2011 until the end of November, 20,000 expressions of interest have been received, which prompted Lada to stop accepting orders for Granta sedans until the end of the first quarter of 2012… Mass production of the Lada Granta started on 29 November 2011, with the model on sale from 22 December 2011. Lada plans to produce 100,000 units over 2012 – that’s a bit shy, and wouldn’t even allow the Granta to climb on the podium by year-end. The Lada Granta range starts at $7,210.

Kia Rio

But there are other news this month in the Russian models ranking! The Lada Kalina tops the ladder for only the fourth time ever after November 2010, April and July 2011 with 8,532 sales and 5.5%, followed by the Lada Priora at 7,570 units and 4.9% and the Hyundai Solaris reaching its strongest market share ever at 4.6% thanks to 7,172 sales. The Kia Rio also hits its highest position and share ever at #4 with 5,117 units and 3.3%, up 106% on January 2011, and so does the Renault Sandero up to a fantastic 7th place at 4,039 sales and 2.6% share, up 105% year-on-year.

Renault Sandero

The Lada Samara and 2104-2107 are logically hit full frontal by the Granta: the first is down 10 spots on December to #11 and 43% on January 2011 and the latter is down 70% year-on-year to #12. Two other models make their first appearance in the monthly ranking in January: the Nissan Juke is up to a shiny #19 spot at 2,283 units and 1.5% and the VW Tiguan is #20 with 2,223 sales and 1.4%. Notice also the Nissan X-Trail holding itself at a brilliant 23rd place at 1,873 units and 1.2%, up 90% on January 2011.

Nissan X-Trail