The number of dealerships selling Chinese car brands in Russia fell 7% in 2025 to about 2,600 outlets as sales of Chinese vehicles plunged, the Kommersant daily reported Wednesday, citing estimates by Gazprombank Autoleasing and industry publication AvtoBusinessReview.
Chinese brands’ share of Russia’s dealership network declined to 64% from 67% after 643 showrooms selling Chinese passenger cars and light commercial vehicles closed during the year.
That marks a 40% increase from 2024, when about 460 outlets shut, and is more than triple the 187 closures recorded in 2023.
Only 459 new Chinese-brand dealerships opened in 2025, roughly one-third of the number launched a year earlier.
Alexander Kornev, head of importer relations at Gazprombank Autoleasing, told Kommersant that about a quarter of dealerships selling Chinese cars were either closed or rebranded last year.
He added that more than 100 auto retailers had stopped purchasing vehicles from China, opting instead to work with domestic assemblers producing locally built versions of Chinese models.
According to data from Avtostat, Russia’s overall car market contracted by nearly 16% in 2025, with total sales falling to 1.33 million vehicles.
Sales of Chinese-made vehicles dropped 23% year-on-year to 769,600 units, Avtostat director Sergei Tselikov said.
He cited figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showing that 710,000 Chinese passenger cars were sold in Russia last year, down 22% from 2024.
Sales of Chinese trucks fell 39% to 51,800 units, while sales of light commercial vehicles rose 25% to 6,700 units.
The Russian Automobile Dealers Association (ROAD) attributed the decline in the number of Chinese-brand dealerships to what it described as overly rapid expansion in previous years, after Chinese automakers rushed into the Russian market following the exit of Western brands over the war in Ukraine.
ROAD told Kommersant that many Chinese brands lacked a clear understanding of real consumer demand and the economics of the dealer business, prompting some manufacturers to revise their strategies and some dealers to scale back their involvement in 2025.
The association also pointed to higher borrowing costs, rising rents, logistics expenses and wages, as well as weaker consumer demand, as factors weighing on the sector.
Overall, 678 car dealerships of all brands opened in Russia last year, down nearly 47% from 2024, while 763 showrooms closed, 22.6% fewer than a year earlier. The total number of dealerships fell by 85 to 4,070.
Data from China’s General Administration of Customs showed that Chinese exports of new and used vehicles to Russia slumped 42% year-on-year in 2025 to 632,300 units.
Shipments fell even more sharply in value terms, dropping nearly 80% to $8.46 billion from $15.2 billion in 2024.
Read this article in Russian at The Moscow Times' Russian service.
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