Chinese brands sold 56,573 vehicles in Russia in from January to July, up 140 percent year-over-year, with the top three sellers being Chery, Haval and Geely, Sputnik reported.

In July, Chinese cars sold 9,734 units in Russia, up 84 percent year-over-year. Chinese cars have seen steady growth in local sales so far this year, the report said.

In a report released on August 3, China's Ministry of Commerce has recommended that new energy vehicle companies increase their exports, marketing and promotion to Russia to expand their market share.

This report on the development of new energy vehicles in Russia shows that the market for electric vehicles in Russia is limited in size due to the cold climate. As of 2020, the number of electric vehicles in Russia will be about 6,300, with a penetration rate of only 0.01 percent.

The report says Russia's electric vehicle infrastructure is still in its infancy, with Moscow only planning to quintuple the number of charging piles in the city to 600 by 2023.

Local companies in Russia have also launched electric vehicles, including St. Petersburg Polytechnic University's electric SUV and compact electric vehicle platform Zetta.

Russia's natural gas vehicle market has small holdings and is growing faster, with capacity concentrated in heavy-duty vehicles, the report said.

"Chinese companies can consider seizing the growth opportunities in the Russian market and, on the basis of full justification, increase the export of new energy vehicles to Russia and their marketing and promotion in Russia to gradually expand their market share in Russia," the report reads.

Chinese companies can explore with Russia to carry out cooperation on new energy vehicle infrastructure, including charging facility construction, pipe network optimization, dispatching transmission and distribution optimization, and smart services to share new opportunities in the new energy vehicle market, the report said.

China's new energy vehicle exports showed explosive growth in July, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said on Tuesday.

Tesla China exported 24,347 units in July, SAIC Passenger Car's new energy exports 4,407 units, BYD exported 781 units and Chery Auto exported 120 units, the CPCA said.

China's wholesale sales of new energy passenger vehicles reached 246,000 units in July, up 5.1 percent from the previous month and up 202.9 percent from a year earlier. 1.339 million new energy passenger vehicles were sold wholesale in China from January to July, up 227.4 percent from a year earlier.

China's Ministry of Commerce suggests local NEV firms to increase exports to Russia

(Photo source: Chery)