Russia Sales Remain Stable With 2% February Increase

Russian new-vehicle sales edged ahead 2% in February to 210,666 units, yielding a 2-month total up 3% to 372,743, the Association of European Businesses automobile manufacturers committee says.

Committee chairman Joerg Schreiber says the February result, up 3,362 units compared with year-ago, was no surprise.

“Retail registrations keep following the largely stable year-on-year pattern which we have been seeing for some months now,” Schreiber says in a statement.

“This kind of relative stability is a new experience for the traditionally very dynamic Russian car market. The majority of industry participants believe that consolidation at a high level remains the most likely scenario for the market development in the coming months.”

Lada remained the market leader with 36,910 deliveries in February, little changed from 36,761 a year earlier.

Second-place Renault was the big gainer, rising 19% to 15,300 units, ahead of Kia, up 7% to 14,094. Chevrolet was in fifth place after falling 1% to 13,023 units, while ninth-place Ford dropped 23% to 7,051.

The AvtoVAZ, Renault and Nissan alliance saw February sales edge up 2% to 66,262 units, while deliveries after two months grew 4% to 120,590.

Volkswagen Group saw an 8% increase last month to 23,224 units, and a 7% improvement over the first two months of 2013 to 40,441. The General Motors group posted 5% gains both in February and after two months, to 20,333 and 35,174, respectively.

The Lada Granta topped model sales, soaring 117% in February to 12,207 units and a 2-month surge of 201% to 22,796.

Hyundai’s Solaris held second place despite a 9% decline in February volume to 8,425 units and a 2-month return off 4% to 15,778.

The Ford Focus ranked eighth as deliveries tumbled 25% to 4,991 units, leaving its 2-month total down 20% to 9,295. Chevrolet’s Nivia was the ninth-best seller, with the month’s sales slipping 11% to 4,274 and a year-to-date total off 10% to 7,611.