Sale potential of new Chinese electric cars in Russia is low — Russian car dealer
It is pointed out that the Russian government has limited the import of cars as part of parallel imports and now, in order to make an official delivery, one should obtain a VTA (vehicle type approval)
BEIJING, May 3. /TASS/. New electric cars showcased at the Auto China 2024 international show in Beijing are unlikely to come to Russia in the near future, Andrey Olkhovsky, General Director of the Avtodom Group of Companies, told TASS.
When asked what new electric cars from the exhibition can appear on to the Russian market, he replied: "The potential for electric cars is quite low. Of course, many would like to see brands such as Zeekr or Lotus in Russia officially, but so far this is hardly feasible."
The CEO noted that a lot of self-driving cars were presented at the exhibition. "Almost every premium brand has them. We even managed to test one of them in a real situation, and we were very impressed, indeed. But legislation still has to go a long way to ensure that such cars can be used in roads everywhere," he said.
He also pointed out that the Russian government has limited the import of cars as part of parallel imports and now, in order to make an official delivery, one should obtain a VTA (vehicle type approval).
"This is time and money, so first you need to calculate, even if there is agreement from the manufacturer, whether such work will be profitable," the general director of the automobile holding said.
About the car show
Auto China 2024 is under way in Beijing from April 25 to May 4. In total 117 new car models are showcased at the exhibition. Of these, 30 are from well-known international companies. At the exhibition visitors can see 41 concept car models - prototypes of the cars of the future. In recent years, the production of vehicles powered by environmentally friendly energy sources has been actively developing in China, so electric vehicles are widely presented at the exhibition. Guests of the car show can see 278 models of electric cars.
The Chinese brands that present their stands at the exhibition include BYD, Changan, Cherry, Geely, Haval, JAC, Li Auto, Xiaomi, Zeekr and many others. Such world-known manufacturers as BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and Toyota have booked exhibition space at the auto show.