Russia October 2021: Haval (+199.4%) Chery (+175%) and Geely (+48.9%) break records in market off -22.6%

The Jolion is the first Haval to rank inside the Passenger Cars Top 25 in Russia.

The Russian new light vehicle market slows down its fall slightly from -22.6% in September to -18.1% in October at 126.204 registrations. The year-to-date tally is now up 10.5% year-on-year to 1.313.579 units. As a result our 2021 Forecast is up slightly to 1.65 million units (+3%). Both brand leaders Lada (-30.9%) and Kia (-24.5%) fall faster than the market and see their share thaw slightly year-on-year to 21.4% and 13.4% respectively. Hyundai (-14.7%) fares better but is still in negative, distancing Renault (-36.2%) in difficulty year-on-year but back up two spots on September to the 4th place it holds year-to-date. Toyota (+5.8%) and GAZ (+16.9%) both defy the negative context to post year-on-year upticks at #5 and #6 respectively, while Nissan (-10.4%) manages to contain its loss somewhat.

Like last month, the top 3 Chinese carmakers break both their volume and share records, amplifying a trend we have witnessed in the past year. Haval (+199.4%) is up to a record 9th place and smashes its records with 4.803 units and 3.8% share, its previous best (from last September) being 3.513 and 2.9%. Haval outsells Volkswagen (-51.8%) for the first time ever in Russia. Chery (+175%) stays at #11 with 4.098 sals and 3.2% share with previous best being 3.488 and 2.9% while Geely (+48.9%) is down one spot to #14 and sells 3.002 units for a 2.4% share, previous best at 2.613 and 2.2%. Other gainers further down the charts include Genesis (+357.1%), Peugeot (+106.5%), Citroen (+43.8%), Changan (+15.1%), Volvo (+7.1%), UAZ (+1.7%), Mazda (+1.5%) and Mitsubishi (+0.3%). 

Model-wise, the Lada Vesta (-13.4%) threepeats at #1 and breaks its market share record at 8.1% (previous best 8% in March 2019) but remains in 2nd place year-to-date. The Lada Granta (-43%) is in great difficulty once again but rallies back up five spots on September to end the month in 2nd place, holding onto its YTD leadership for now. The Kia Rio (-24.5%) drops one rank to #3 ahead of the Hyundai Solaris (+1%) edging up a year-on-year lift. The Hyundai Creta (-23.9%) is once again the most popular SUV in Russia but drops significantly despite a new generation. The GAZ Gazelle (+12.8%) is the only additional gainer in the Top 10, with the Toyota RAV4 (-3.7%), Skoda Rapid PA II (-7.3%), Renault Duster (-10.4%) and Lada Largus (-10.5%) all limiting their fall. Below, the Toyota Camry (+17.5%), Kia K5 (+9.5%) and Nissan Qashqai (+8.8%) impress. There are a record three Russian nameplates in the passenger car Top 25 (excluding the LCVs GAZ Gazelle and Ford Transit), whereas the previous record was one. The Chery Tiggo 7 Pro (+268.6%) ranks #18, the Chery Tiggo 4 (+159.4%) is #22 and the Haval Jolion (new) #25, the latter two cracking their first Top 25 finish.

Previous month: Russia September 2021: Kia teases Lada for #1, Haval, Chery and Geely break records, sales off -22.6%

One year ago: Russia October 2020: Lada (+22.4%), Chinese (+59.3%) help pull largest sales gain this year (+7%)

Full October 2021 Top 45 All-brands and Top 25 models below.