MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. Chinese cars are improving in quality and demand for them in Russia is increasing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with China Media Group.

"Just yesterday I talked to some people who could well be called car enthusiasts with a great and long experience. And in all sincerity, not knowing that we were going to have an interview today, my interlocutors told me: you know, Chinese cars are settling in our market not simply because others are becoming fewer, this is not the only reason. The quality is improving. The quality of Chinese cars is getting better, so our consumers, particularly in terms of quality/price ratio, are happily turning towards products of Chinese manufacturers," Putin said

TASS reported earlier citing Otkritie Auto study that around 2,000 car dealerships of Chinese brands are open in Russia, which is half of all dealership centers in the country. By the end of the year, their number may increase to 2,300.

In total, 1,137 new car dealerships have been opened in Russia since the beginning of 2023, 977 of which are showrooms of Chinese brands. The Chery brand now has the most showrooms with 197. The Geely brand is actively expanding its presence - by the beginning of October its network had grown to 172 showrooms, 34 of which were opened this year. The top three are completed by Changan, which has 155 dealership centers in Russia (43 opened in 2023).