More than 27,000 trucks were sold in Russia in the first five months of 2023. According to a study by Avtostat Info the Russian analytical agency there are only 15 brands. The most sought-after trucks are Chinese ones.
According to attendees of the Moscow TRANSit-2023 Road Freight Conference, spare parts are a problem for freight carriers. Owners of the «Euro-7″—DAF, IVECO, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Scania, and Volvo heavy trucks are allegedly affected by a lack of spare parts for these vehicles. The delivery of spare parts, components, and assemblies for Chinese trucks, however, presents a serious issue because it takes so long.
Even though there are over 27,000 trucks sold in the first five months of 2023 in Russia, only 415 of them were Mercedes-Benz trucks. Heavy trucks from other parts of Europe are also sold there. In total, 1,700 units of Euro-7 trucks were sold, a nearly 64 % decrease from the previous year.
«For the market, the entry of cars through parallel import is essentially insignificant. In general, these imports continue to function despite the tightening of sanctions against exports to Russia», attendees of the TRANSIT-2023 Conference on road freight transportation believe.
Both new Chinese and Russian vehicles are used in the sector. For comparison, Shaanxi sold 6,600 units, an increase of 37%, and FAW sold 4,500 units, an increase of 95% during the first five months of sales. Over 8,000 units of the Chinese Sitrak were purchased during this time, which is 25 times more than a year earlier. In general, for the first time, more foreign cars were sold than domestic trucks (16,200 and 10,700 units respectively).
From Chinese manufacturers, no one purchased tractor trucks in 2021, but now they do, along with dump trucks. According to Avtostat Info analysts, major trucking companies and construction companies are actively replacing their fleets with Chinese trucks. Heavy lift units make up the majority of purchased units, whereas Korean and Japanese brands, as well as the domestic GAZ brand, dominate sales in the medium-tonnage class.
“The lack of refrigerated trucks is still present in Russia. Meanwhile tires from the world top brands are being replaced by more affordable, equally dependable tires from Chinese and Iranian brands”, — market participants assume.
