Car imports from China to Russia in June exceeded $1 billion for the first time

MOSCOW, Jul 20 (Reuters) – Imports of Chinese cars into Russia topped $1 billion in June for the first time, according to Chinese customs statistics.

China exported $1.03 billion worth of passenger cars to Russia, a more than 33-fold increase compared to June last year.

Exports were already approaching $1 billion in April, when Russia imported $977 million worth of cars from China.

China sold $4.6 billion worth of cars to Russia in the first half of 2023, up 6.4 times last year, according to Chinese customs.

Chinese automakers, which for many years lost the first place in the Russian car market to Western competitors, are making up for lost time after their departure by increasing both imports and local production. (Gleb Stolyarov. Edited by Oksana Kobzeva)