Russia January 2021: Chery & Haval break records, Kia Rio best-seller, Lada Niva up in market down -4.2%

Lada Niva sales are up 135.3% year-on-year thanks to its facelift.

The Russian new car market drops a limited -4.2% year-on-year in January to 95.213 units. Homegrown leader Lada (+0.3%) posts stable sales, sending it to a strong 23% share vs. 21.5% over the Full Year 2020, with Kia (+0.6%) performing similarly but seeing its share shoot up three percentage point above its FY2020 level at 15.8% vs. 12.7%. Below Hyundai (-3.9%) matching the market, both Renault (+2.9%) and Skoda (+1.5%) secure positive results. Mazda (+13.4%) is the best performer in the Top 10 whereas Nissan (-33.7%), GAZ (-18.1%) and Toyota (-16.7%) are hit hard.

Chery is up to #11 overall in Russia this month.

The hero of the month is Chery, up a surreal 359% year-on-year and five spots on December to rank #11 overall with 2% share, believed to be all-time records for a Chinese brand in Russia. Note Chery may have already reached or surpasses these figures back in 2007 when it ranked #16 annually with 1.7% share, but monthly data is unavailable for that year. Just below Chery, Haval (+27.6%) also scores big, breaking its Russian ranking record at #12 vs. #13 in December. Keep in mind Mercedes and BMW don’t report monthly sales in Russia anymore and would traditionally rank above Chery and Haval. Other great gainers further down the charts include Ford (+147.3%), Cadillac (+118.3%), Peugeot (+74.2%), Porsche (+62.8%), Volvo (+58%), Lexus (+28.5%) and Audi (+23.4%).

The Kia Rio is the best-selling vehicle in Russia in January.

Model-wise, the Kia Rio (+24%) tops the charts for the first time in almost 3 years (since May 2018), eclipsing the Lada Granta (-8.9%) and Vesta (-15.4%). The Hyundai Creta (+6%) remains the best-selling SUV in the country at #4 overall, distancing a Renault Duster (+62.9%) whose 2nd generation finally reaches Russia today February 11. Previously sold as a Chevrolet, the Niva now has a Lada badge and isn’t to be confused with the legendary Lada 4×4 which is/was sold as Niva outside of Russia. The Niva received a facelift and a more rugged variant called Travel, and as a result shoots up 135.3% year-on-year to #8 overall. The Lada Largus, also facelifted, is up 2.9%. Notice also the Kia Seltos returning inside the Top 25 for the first time since last August to #19, a new record for the nameplate.

Previous post: Russia Full Year 2020: Lada Granta repeats at #1, Chinese brands up 41.3% in market down -9.1%

One year ago: Russia January 2020: Toyota up 20.4%, Haval scores once in a decade milestone in market up 1.8%

Full January 2021 Top 50 All-brands and Top 25 models below.