Russian Light-Vehicle Market’s Red Ink Fades in 2016
The Association of European Businesses believes the 2016 result lays the groundwork for the Russian market to end its 4-year fall, predicting 2017 sales will rise a moderate 4% to 1.5 million units.
Russian new-vehicle deliveries ended 11% behind the 2015 pace at 1,425,791 units, but the industry still sees signs of hope, even predicting an end to four years of falling sales.
The Association of European Businesses Automobile Manufacturers Committee says December sales, while down 1% to 145,668 units, showed the red light could be turning to amber.
Committee Chairman Joerg Schreiber says December’s year-on-year performance roughly matched that of fourth-quarter 2015, when sales slipped 0.9%.
“After the double-digit losses in the first nine months of the year, this is a good progress,” Schreiber says in a statement. “The market as a whole is still lacking positive momentum, but apparently is in process of finally establishing its bottom.”
If so, the AEB believes, the Russian industry has the potential to end its 4-year fall, predicting 2017 sales will rise a moderate 4% to 1.48 million units.
Lada led the 2016 result, falling 1% from prior-year to 266,296 units, after a December result up 18% at 27,630 units.
Kia followed, down 9% on the year at 149,567 units, not helped by a dismal December that saw deliveries tumble 13% to 13,193.
Hyundai claimed third place for the year, despite a 10% drop to 145,254 units. Its December result was up a promising 12% at 14,047 units.
Renault claimed fourth place, down just 3% at 117,230 units with December sales up 15% at 13,765.
The top five was rounded out by Toyota, down 4% to 94,568 units. Its December result was off 7% at 10,417 units.
The American contingent saw Ford drop 8% in December to 4,166 deliveries, but it managed to stay in the black for the year, up 4% at 42,528.
Chevrolet sales fell 4% to 3,235 units, capping a bleak year that ended down 39% at 30,463.
GM’s Cadillac luxury brand found fewer deep Russian pockets last year, closing 2016 down 12% at 1,274 units, after a December result off 26% at 153.
Among individual models, Hyundai’s Solaris deposed Lada’s Granta as Russia’s top-selling model last year despite a 22% drop from like-2015 to 90,380 units.
Granta plunged 27% to 87,726 units, just 64 more deliveries than Kia’s Rio, down 9.7%.
Overall, Lada did manage to place six models among the 20 best-selling vehicles.
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