MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Sales of new cars and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in Russia may rise by 45.6% in 2023 to 1 mln units, Chairman of the AEB (Association of European Businesses) Automobile Manufacturers Committee Alexey Kalitsev said on Thursday.
"We revise our outlook for 2023. We believe that the total market of car sales in Russia is going to reach around 1 mln [units], which is a substantial increase compared with 2022," he said.
Kalitsev mentioned more ambitious output plans announced by companies that have local production in the country, as one of the main reasons behind the revision of the association’s outlook.
"The second [reason] is the emergence of a large number of new players that have already voiced their plans to enter the Russian market or that are currently preparing the entry into the Russian market in the second half of the year. <…> And, of course, the alternative import. It continues now, though we think its share will be gradually declining," he said.
Earlier, the AEB projected a 12% rise in sales of cars in Russia in 2023 to 770,000 units.
In 2022, sales of new passenger cars and LCVs in Russia fell by almost 59% compared to 2021 to 687,000 vehicles.