The Russian new-vehicle market accelerated in October with sales soaring 17.3% to 148,597 units – the eighth consecutive month of increased year-on-year results.
Association of European Businesses Automobile Manufacturers Committee data shows the year-to-date result was up 11.3% at 1,277,938 units.
Committee Chairman Joerg Schreiber says the Russian recovery is robust, with the eight straight months of increases the longest period of uninterrupted growth the passenger-car and light-commercial-vehicle market has experienced since 2012.
“Of course, the size of today’s market is still a far cry from the record sales achieved in that year,” Schreiber says in a statement. “But it is encouraging to see that, at the current pace of recovery, total sales in 2017 have a good chance to restore the market to the level it had in 2015.”
Lada remained Russia’s best-selling brand with a strong 23% rise in October to 28,638 units, for a 10-month total ahead 17% at 249,845.
Kia climbed 16% to 17,407 units for the month and was up 25% year-to-date at 152,630.
Hyundai rose 11% to 15,712 units to give it a 10-month total ahead 11% at 127,597.
Ford finished the month in 10th place with sales up 33% at 4,837 units and was up 15% at 4,837 year-to-date.
Ford’s joint-venture operation, Ford Sollers, credits its October success to its traditionally strong positions in the C-segment with the Ford Focus and the LCV segment with the Ford Transit, as well as a developed line of CUVs, a segment now accounting for 40% of the total market.
Focus sales rose 32% to 1,392 units for the month, leaving it up 22% at 11,577 after 10 months.
Transit deliveries rose 72% to 1,134 units for a year-to-date total up 65% at 7,115 units.
The Ford Explorer’s 238 deliveries in October was its best result of the year and a 109% year-on-year increase. The CUV’s 10-month total was up 62% at 1,891 units.
Chevrolet sales climbed 25% in October to 3,053 units for a 10-month total up 5% at 25,833.
Among models, Kia’s Rio topped the month’s sales charts despite falling 1.9% to 8,779 units.
Lada’s Granta jumped 20.4% to finish October with 8,208 units, ahead of Lada’s Vesta, which climbed 30.6% to 6,629.
After 10 months, the Rio was up 15.6% at 71,225 units with the Granta rising 7.8% to 75,910 and the Vesta ahead 44.2% at 61,270.
