In April this year, China leapt to second place in Russia's second-hand passenger car import market, surpassing South Korea and second only to Japan.

Ma Youjun, a distinguished researcher at the Far East Institute of Heihe University, said in an interview with Russian Satellite News Agency that it is a historical necessity for China's share of used cars in Russia to surpass that of South Korea, thanks to China's global leading position in new energy vehicles and the deepening of strategic cooperation between China and Russia.

However, he also pointed out that China automobiles need to strengthen localized coordination in terms of quality adaptation and after-sales, otherwise it will affect the brand image; in the future, we should shift from single vehicle sales to industrial coordination and build a community of interests so that we can achieve stability and long-term development.

This change in the market pattern has been clearly confirmed in the latest statistical data. Data provided by Sergey Telikov, head of Russian automobile market analysis agency Avtostat, to Satellite News Agency shows that in April 2026, China accounted for 22.7% of Russia's total used car imports, while South Korea only accounted for 7.7%.

In the same period last year, South Korea accounted for 24.5%, and China accounted for 11%. He pointed out that Japan has been the main country in Russia's used car supply for many years, with its market share approaching 60%, but China may surpass Japan in Russia's used car supply in the future.

Ma Youjun gave an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon that China's used car market share surpassed that of South Korea. He said that currently China's automobile exports have become an important product in China's foreign cooperation, and China's automobile exports have also shown a good development trend in Europe, South America and other countries.

From the perspective of the Russian market, it is historical inevitable that China's used car market will exceed South Korea: on the one hand, China's new energy vehicles are currently in a leading position in the world; on the other hand, relying on the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between China and Russia, especially in the context of President Putin's upcoming visit to China, China-Russia bilateral cooperation, especially economic and trade cooperation, will be further deepened. In the future, China's automobile market share in Russia is expected to continue to increase.

However, in addition to optimistic expectations, experts also pointed out the practical challenges faced by China cars in the Russian market, such as whether the quality of China cars can adapt to Russia's road conditions and environment, especially in the after-sales field, where the quality assurance and maintenance services of China cars need to be guaranteed. If handled improperly, it will have a great negative impact on the brand image and market expansion of China automobiles.

Ma Youjun further elaborated on the long-term development path of China's automobile exports to Russia. He believes that the high-end and branding of China's automobile exports need to be promoted in coordination with local services. If it is divorced from localized development, it will affect the development of China automobiles in the Russian market.

At the same time, it is necessary to promote the optimization and release of vitality in the market structure of used cars and new energy vehicles, explore how to shift from a single vehicle sales model to an industrial synergy model, and build an interest chain with Russia.

Ma Youjun concluded that overall, we must not only see the huge potential of the Russian market, but also prepare for a rainy day, predict potential problems in future development and avoid risks. This is not only a control for China's automobile exports to the Russian market, but also a reference value for exports to other markets. Only in this way can we promote the stability and long-term development of China's automobile export market.

Source: Used car Xiaopang said

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