Russia Market Continues to Roll on Record July Volume

Russian new-vehicle sales set a July record, rising 14% from year-ago to 255,560 units.

The performance took the market’s 7-month total up a similar 14% to 1,669,455 units.

“We are pleased to see that the industry remains in good shape,” Association of European Businesses Automobile Manufacturers Committee Chairman Joerg Schreiber says in a statement.

But sales leader Lada continued its volume decline, posting a 7% drop in July to 47,093 units. Year-to-date deliveries are off 13% at 297,825 units.

Chevrolet remains a distant second among brands, despite boosting July sales 28% to 20,221 units. Its 2012 volume to date rose 19% to 115,755 units.

Third-place Renault saw sales jump 24% in July to 16,623 units, putting it 28% ahead of year-ago through seven months on 112,202 units.

With Lada dragging down the results, the Avtovaz-Renault-Nissan alliance eked out a 2% gain in a record July to 77,018 units.

General Motors ranked second overall among manufacturers in July on a 25% climb in sales of its Opel, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands to 27,935 units.

The VW Group followed with a 38% gain for the month to 27,537 units.

The Lada Kalina model led in volume in July, despite a 13% decline to 11,143 units. It was followed by the Lada Priora, down 12% to 10,722 units, and Hyundai Solaris, up 4.0% to 9,361.