MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. Russian motorists spent 385 bln rubles ($4.4 bln) in December 2023, a record-high for the entire historical monitoring period, on buying new automobiles, according to a joint research report by Otkritie Auto and the Autostat analytical agency, as reviewed by TASS.

According to the research findings, the December figure is 17% higher than in November 2023 (329.7 bln rubles, or $3.74 bln) and 2.6 times more than a year ago (145.5 bln rubles, or $1.65 bln). Moreover, the December figure is a record-breaker for the entire period that auto market monitoring has been conducted, experts say. The financial capacity of the Russian automotive market in 2023 also set a new record, climbing to 3.13 trln rubles ($35.5 bln).

Russians spend approximately eight times more disposable income on cars designed for the general consumer segment than on premium makes and models, the research report says, with the two segments accounting for 88.7% versus 11.3%, respectively, of the overall Russian automotive market.