Japan is still the "basic market" for Russia's used car imports, with South Korea's sources almost doubling (+99%); China's sources equivalent to 3.5 times that of the same period last year...

[Moscow News] Russian imports of used cars will hit historical highs in 2025. Data from the analysis agency "Avtostat (Автостат)" shows that Russia imported a total of 493,800 used passenger cars in 2025; if 8,500 light commercial vehicles (LCV) under 3.5 tons are added, the total number will exceed 500,000. Sergey Tselikov, head of Avtostat, disclosed on his Telegram channel that this scale is an "absolute record in recent decades" and that a comparable wave of imports only occurred in the early 1990s, when Russian car consumption was just beginning and customs restrictions were relatively loose.

From the perspective of source, Japan is still the "basic market" for Russia's used car imports. In 2025, 215,600 used cars will be imported from Japan, accounting for nearly 44%, of which more than 99% are right-hand steering cars. However, Japan fell slightly by 5% year-on-year, while several new channels experienced explosive growth: South Korea's source almost doubled to 110,700 vehicles (+99%); China became the third largest source country, with imports reaching 81,200 vehicles, equivalent to 3.5 times that of the same period last year; the scale of transfers via Georgia also rose to 36,700 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 191%, indicating that the role of "entrepot and transit" in the current trade environment has been further amplified.

In terms of brand structure, Toyota and Honda still lead the way. Data showed that Toyota imports increased to 97,500 units (+6%), and Honda increased to 78,300 units (+12%). They are closely followed by BMW (46,000 vehicles), KIA (36,500 vehicles), Volkswagen (28,600 vehicles), Mercedes-Benz (26,400 vehicles), Hyundai (24,400 vehicles), Audi (17,200 vehicles), Nissan (16,100 vehicles) and Mazda (14,300 vehicles). Among the major brands, Hyundai (+71%) and Audi (+70%) have the most prominent growth rates;Nissan is the only brand in the top ten with a year-on-year decline (-20%).

What deserves even more vigilance among China's auto exporters is that imported used cars in "relatively new condition" in the Russian market are being regarded by the industry as alternatives to new cars, especially some newly launched China brand models. Russian experts pointed out in the report that against the background of rising new car prices and rising scrapping/recycling fees (what Russia often calls "utylsbor"), imported used cars are easier to cover consumers 'demand for "greater power and more adequate configuration". demand. Among imported used cars in 2025, the proportion of models with engine power exceeding 160 horsepower will reach 45.6%; and since December 1, changes in preferential import conditions will affect nearly half of this segment, which means that policy dividends are being tightened, but the market has "found a way" with used car imports.

[Brief Comment]

The record high import of used cars essentially reflects that Russian consumers are still very sensitive to "cost performance and configuration", and also shows that the rising cost of new cars is changing car purchase decisions. For China's complete vehicle exports, this is not simply bad news: on the one hand,"New Japanese/New Korean used cars" will form a direct squeeze in the medium and high allocation range; on the other hand, as preferential conditions gradually recede, the compliance and cost uncertainty of imported used cars increase, if Chinese brands can realize the system advantages of quality assurance, financing, replacement and parts supply, they will have the opportunity to bring the "short-term price ratio" back to the "long-term ratio total cost of ownership" competitive logic.

Source:https://speedme.ru/posts/id-79610-polmilliona-mashin-iz-za-granitsy-rossija-pobila-rekord-importa-s-probegom

Source: Guangdong Good Car

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