According to comprehensive foreign reports, in January 2015, Russian light-duty vehicle sales fell sharply by 24.4% year-on-year, and most of the automakers/brands including China's own brands suffered diving. The analysis agency predicts that the sales volume of the Russian auto market will drop by 35% in 2015, and the vehicle manufacturers will encounter "cold winter" in Russia.

After a slight rebound, it is a plunge

According to the AEB European Chamber of Commerce data, sales of light vehicles in the Russian market in December 2014 increased slightly by 2.4% from 264,307 units to 270,653 units. In 2014, sales volume decreased by 10.3% from 2,491,404 units to 2,777,547 units. This means that the previous 11-month decline in the Russian auto market ended in December last year. This is related to the reaction of the Russian ruble crisis. In the case of currency depreciation, consumers are more willing to purchase large-sized goods with strong hedging ability such as automobiles.

However, in January 2015, the limited boosting effect of the currency crisis disappeared, and the Russian auto market ushered in a new round of sharp decline. The registered sales volume of light vehicles was 115,390 units, down 24.4% from the 152,662 units in January 2014. %.

PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts that the Russian car market in 2015 will be between 1.52 million and 1.75 million, compared with 2.34 million in 2014 (Editor's note: different from AEB data), the annual sales will decline from 10%. % expanded to 25% to 35%. In other words, the Russian car market may collapse by about one-third this year.

Analysts and industry insiders attributed the Russian auto market to Western political and economic sanctions, oil price volatility and market regulation. PricewaterhouseCoopers believes that the geopolitical situation, crude oil prices, changes in the exchange rate of the ruble, loan conditions and national policy support will be the main factors affecting the sales volume of the auto market in 2015.

Joerg Schreiber, chairman of the AEB Automakers Committee, beat the square: "If (2014) is a grand party for many market participants in December, then (January 2015) is equivalent to a hangover sequelae. At the same time, in order to cope with exchange rate changes, many New Year's car models have raised prices far more than usual. The price changes in the market are still advancing, so before the final stop, the 'hangover headache' will be more intense."

Various car companies are also adjusting for changes in the Russian market, including controlling output and lowering sales targets.

The Renault-Nissan-Volga alliance lowered its sales forecast for Russia in 2015 from 780,000 units to 740,000 units, while the alliance's sales in Russia in July fell by 7.0% from 821,404 units to 764,245 units, even with Datsan's new low prices. The joining of the brand did not stop the decline.

Earlier this month, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn also predicted that the Russian car market sales will fall by 20% this year. The Renault Russia plant was also shut down for three weeks due to poor market conditions.