(Yicai) Jan. 15 -- Sales of China-made automobiles to Russia soared 2.8-fold last year from 2022, as Russia becomes an increasingly important market for Chinese vehicle manufacturers.

Chinese automakers including Chery Automobile, Great Wall Motor and Geely Automobile sold 458,317 cars in Russia in 2023, accounting for 49 percent of Russia’s auto sales that year, according to data recently released by the Association of European Business.

Of this, Chery shifted 21,042 units, a surge of 2.9 times, while Great Wall’s shipments also jumped 2.9-fold to 138,462 cars and Geely’s deliveries climbed 2.4 times to 84,019. Chongqing Changan Automobile, FAW Group and GAC Group sold 11,267, 10,203 and 2,621 units respectively.

There are seven Chinese marques in Russia’s top 10 brands, but the best seller is Russia’s homegrown Lada, with sales soaring 86.9 percent in 2023 from the year before to 352,572 units.

In terms of models, Great Wall Motor’s Haval Jolion, Chery's Tiggo 7 Pro, Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 8 Pro and Omoda C5 as well as Geely's Coolray and Atlas Pro are all in the top 10.

China is expected to oust Japan as the world’s biggest automobile exporter in 2023 with exports surging 57.4 percent year on year to 5.2 million autos.

The Association of European Business is a non-profit organisation comprised of over 500 European and Russian companies. Its committees are engaged in lobbying on a wide range of issues including energy, transport, agriculture, air travel, passenger cars, legislation, taxation, banking, real estate and crop protection.

Editor: Kim Taylor