As China has tightened its supervision on "exporting new cars in the name of second-hand" since January 1, 2026, the Russian distribution system has hardly received any new cars from China entering through parallel import channels in early February...

[Moscow/Vladivostok Comprehensive] According to Russian media Autonews.ru recently interviewed a number of dealers and cross-border vehicle source service providers, the Russian market is facing a new round of supply disruption: Since China has tightened the supervision of "exporting new cars in the name of second-hand" since January 1, 2026, the Russian distribution system has hardly received any new cars from China entering through parallel import channels in early February. Some industry insiders have warned that if the rules cannot be digested by the market in the short term, some hot-selling models may have periodic gaps and prices will also be passively increased.

Autonews.ru said that the new export rules formulated by China at the end of 2025 will officially take effect in 2026. The focus of supervision is directly directed to the previously widespread operation of vehicles being first registered locally in China, then cancelled and quickly exported to third countries under the name of "used cars." According to the new regulations, vehicles that are less than 180 days from the first registration are not allowed to leave the country directly in principle; if they want to be exported, they need to provide a document with the official seal of the main engine factory, which Russian media translates as "after-sales service confirmation/guarantee certificate", used to prove that the production company agrees to the export of the "used vehicle" and undertakes corresponding after-sales arrangements.

Marat Sahabov, head of CarPoint, which is engaged in the vehicle source business of China and South Korea, explained to Autonews.ru that "any vehicle must stay for at least half a year after completing its first registration in China before being allowed to be exported." Anton Shaparin, vice chairman of Russia's "National Automobile Alliance"(NAS), bluntly said that China's move is "blocking the channel for new cars to disguise second-hand exports." The reasons behind this include both the dissatisfaction of the main engine factory with the disorder of channels and the change in local regulatory attitudes towards low-cost outflows."Cars will now be stuck at customs in the first half of the year."

The Russian channel has already felt the impact. Nikolai Ivanov, head of the new car sales department of ROlF Group, said in an interview that after the new regulations came into effect, the company "has not received any new shipments from China," and the approaching Spring Festival holiday also makes short-term recovery more difficult."It is unrealistic to expect the chain to turn quickly during this period." Dennis Blinoff, head of Evocars, which specializes in the purchase and delivery of China vehicles, said that suppliers have warned that the shipping methods of brands such as Zeekr will change from January, and the original "fast forward and fast out" path has basically disappeared. Dmitry Zabora, head of the cross-border car booking platform Carwin, also confirmed to Autonews.ru that "not a single car from 2026 (model year/factory) has crossed the border." The statement on social media that "some factories have been released" is still at the level of rumors; what consumers want most, such as the new version of RAV4, Corolla, etc., can only be satisfied with "2025 batch inventory cars" in the short term-that is, vehicles that have been purchased and registered in China last year.

Regarding the direct impact of Russian terminals, Russia generally expects that "the arrival will be slower and the price will be more expensive." Ivanov believes that a price increase may not necessarily lead to a "skyrocketing" jump in the ruble price, but it "will definitely rise" because of the waiting period for warehousing and capital costs, increased logistics complexity and risk premiums. What is even more difficult is that Russia's recent "recycling fee"(utylsbor) billing system has also been adjusted. The combined pressure of comprehensive taxes and fees on some models has made dealers more cautious about supply stability. Shaparin points out that models such as Nissan, Mazda and Zeekr may be more prone to supply shortages in the Russian market: the first two are related to the new fee structure and demand heat, while Zeekr is currently the most popular electric vehicle in Russia through parallel channels. one.

Zabora added that there are currently vehicles in the Mazda CX5 that are "ready for shipment but stuck near the port." This car sold well in Russia last year, and people still continue to place orders this year because of "outstanding cost performance." The reference price he gave was that the price for the CX5 basic style Comfort started at about 2.35 million rubles in the Russian market, which was also the version that was most inquired about. At the same time, Russia has also observed a chain reaction: the price of used cars from China has increased significantly from 2021 to 2023, especially for models below 160 horsepower. The price of some models has been increased by 150,000 to 200,000 rubles. The situation that "used cars are selling more expensive than new cars that year" is emerging.

[Brief Comment] From the perspective of China's business with Russia, this change is essentially that China has compressed the gray space of "outflow of domestic vehicles" to a minimum, and it has a direct impact on the parallel import fast-turnover model that Russia highly relies on. On the contrary, it is a redistribution opportunity for compliant export companies.

Source:https://www.rbcautonews.ru/news/698481749a7947738363ecf1

Source: Guangdong Good Car

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