Komtrans-2023: what will the Russian economy use this year?

We will long remember 2022 as perhaps the most difficult period in the recent history of Russia in general and the Russian economy in particular. A phenomenal package of sanctions packages – where is our line in the Guinness Book of Records? – together with the international screws that were being tightened and the flight of distributors, the car market collapsed to the size of a raisin.

And the new pricing policy has made Russia the most expensive country in the world in the ranking of new cars. Difficult is not the right word, but we got through it and started taking the first steps to the top. And the first, as you know, the most difficult. Sales of commercial vehicles in Russia fell by almost 50% last year and at present the decline has not been replaced by a trend towards recovery in demand. In January, the LCV market contracted by 52% compared to January last year.

At the same time, despite last year’s general “peak”, GAZ remains the domestic leader in many areas: 60% of medium-duty trucks and 57% of light commercial vehicles, traditionally called “Gazelles” in Russia, roll off the market. assembly line under the Nizhny Novgorod brand. The manufacturer plans to strengthen its position in 2023 by replacing European brands that have left the market.

And already this year, GAZ can offer customers a serial version of the small electric low-floor bus Gazelle e-City. As for the medium-tonnage models, we can expect the appearance of a modification of the Sadko NEXT off-road vehicle with a higher payload, which will have a rear axle with twin tires.

But in Naberezhnye Chelny there is less optimism: despite the recovery of the truck market, sales of KamAZ are falling – the market share has fallen from 37% to 26%. The reason is the Chinese. Commercial vehicles from the Celestial Empire are massively imported into Russia: from light, even declared by inveterate Changan car dealers, to agricultural, as the AvtoVzglyad portal has already reported.

Of course, the share of heavy Chinese trucks is also growing, which has already reached an impressive 56% of the Russian market. There are no miracles, the places occupied by European and American brands are taken in a few moments by Chinese brands and factories that want to sell and do not want to speculate on political issues. No offense, as they say, just business.

We will long remember 2022 as perhaps the most difficult period in the recent history of Russia in general and the Russian economy in particular. A phenomenal package of sanctions packages – where is our line in the Guinness Book of Records? – together with the international screws that were being tightened and the flight of distributors, the car market collapsed to the size of a raisin.

And the new pricing policy has made Russia the most expensive country in the world in the ranking of new cars. Difficult is not the right word, but we got through it and started taking the first steps to the top. And the first, as you know, the most difficult. Sales of commercial vehicles in Russia fell by almost 50% last year and at present the decline has not been replaced by a trend towards recovery in demand. In January, the LCV market contracted by 52% compared to January last year.

At the same time, despite last year’s general “peak”, GAZ remains the domestic leader in many areas: 60% of medium-duty trucks and 57% of light commercial vehicles, traditionally called “Gazelles” in Russia, roll off the market. assembly line under the Nizhny Novgorod brand. The manufacturer plans to strengthen its positions in 2023 by replacing European brands that have left the market.

And already this year, GAZ can offer customers a serial version of the small electric low-floor bus Gazelle e-City. As for the medium-tonnage models, we can expect the appearance of a modification of the Sadko NEXT all-terrain vehicle with a higher payload, which will have a rear axle with twin tires.

But in Naberezhnye Chelny there is less optimism: despite the recovery of the truck market, sales of KamAZ are falling – the market share has fallen from 37% to 26%. The reason is the Chinese. Commercial vehicles from the Celestial Empire are massively imported into Russia: from light, even declared by inveterate Changan car dealers, to agricultural, as the AvtoVzglyad portal has already reported.

Of course, the share of heavy Chinese trucks is also growing, which has already reached an impressive 56% of the Russian market. There are no miracles, the places occupied by European and American brands are taken in a few moments by Chinese brands and factories that want to sell and do not want to speculate on political issues. No offense, as they say, just business.