Sanctions vs Russia’s car market. Who wins?

Life in Russia for ordinary people has been significantly reshaped by sanctions, especially when it comes to buying a new car. Join me and my wife as we go undercover at Moscow's largest car dealership and share revealing conversations with the staff that challenge the prevailing narratives in both Russian and Western media.

In addition, I got a chance to chat with a subscriber who's just traded in his Mercedes for a Chinese SUV - a trend that's picking up pace in Russia. And, we didn't miss the opportunity to check out Moskvich-3, a new Russian car that - let's just put it this way - looks surprisingly similar to a mid-range Chinese crossover. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

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[dave]

The real reason for the front seat in the Jaguar is not for passengers, it's really to give your mechanic a place to ride with you.

[marconius]

I live in the Netherlands. And if a car salesman tells me "there's nothing to worry about".
It's time to be very aware. Of course Russian car salesman are totally honest and they would never try to rip you off....

[tochallengethehorizon]

I used to work for a Russian exporter who does this. Buys American BMWs, Mercedes, etc., drives them around the block until they clock about 15 miles, and now the car is "used" and able to be exported. Gets put in a container and shipped to the Middle East, where it is then forwarded to Russia. They switch everything over to Metric and change the Region on the other end. New car parts get over there the same way.

[СераяШейка-иж]

I'm just one of those Russians who recently bought a Chinese Exeed car. And I'm very happy with her so far!

[miaomiao]

Fun fact for those People who look down on Chinese cars: China has surpassed Japan and Germany to become the world's largest automobile exporter. Chery provide a lifetime warranty for the entire vehicle in China, and 10 years 1 million kilometers warranty in some country like Malaysia

[stephenboitoult]

Here in the UK, a set of pads for a Vauxhall Astra, a UK equivalent to your Opel, is around £20 ($25 US) and the labour to fit them maybe £40 ($50 US) from an independent garage. DON'T BUY THE JAG! Even at home parts are ridiculously expensive and hard to find!

[tomtube]

It's not just Russia, it's world wide.
Read Forbes article
China Overtakes Japan As The World’s Biggest Exporter Of Passenger Cars

[delvindoodles]

This is higher quality journalism than a vast majority of other sources. Good work ! And thank you for putting some perspective out here

[peppermintnews]

2 years ago, I bought a new Lada. Good price, brand new, tobe repaired easy....no brake downs. It is just a car, that is what I needed. Go for Lada. Missed in your report

[arthurbc]

In Brazil the perception of chinese cars has changed too, 10-15 years ago chinese cars were a joke, now the Chery is taking over the market with very good cars.

[bserver]

As Russian saying goes 'Свято место пусто не бывает' (Holy place is never empty), Chinese seized the opportunity to go into a lucrative market without ANY competition.
Business wise, Western auto brands made a huge mistake, it'll take enormous effort to return to once lost market.

[crimollo]

I visited Moscow couple of months ago and was impressed by new luxury cars shop in downtown… Sanctions affects just middle class here, which had been establishing before the shit hit us. As everywhere and always - riches are getting richer, poor are getting poorer. imo, sanctions are rather rough way to influence the politicians but great way to lose the market

[christopherramos]

I feel like you're doing amazing work here. I actually feel like this is the way news should be reported everywhere straight, no bs, thanks I subscribed ASAP

[Athrunwong]

As Asian we've been seeing chinese brands for YEARS. It was pretty reliable too, it wasn't luxurious like the german in anyway, but it sure is nice with the price tag sold here. It's comfortable, it's reliable, parts are readily available, it's just scary how quickly they match the Japanese in short time.

[victorsong]

You obviously have no clue about the US car market. The prices are INSANE.
$100K Ford F150s are not unheard of at all. The AVERAGE US car transaction price is OVER $45K, payments streched to 7 years..
Used car prices are on the average, 30-40% HIGHER. The dealer who sold me my new Jeep Compass in 2020, reached out and wants to buy it back for MORE than I paid for it three years ago. A new Jeep Compass (my model) costs $11K MORE today, than what I paid 3 years ago.

[desmondchia]

Chinese brands are also entering to the Malaysian car market.

Geely bought over our local car brand, Proton a few years back. Now our roads are full of rebranded Geely SUVs.

Chery and Haval are set to come back by the end of 2023, for a second run.

[backyardsounds]

The brake job wasn't bad at all. The cost, as compared to most US shops was very fair. Far cheaper. The pads seemed just a little high, but it wasn't absurd.

[efe_]

Here in south america, spare parts for "western" brands mostly are bought from china, and that includes brake parts, tubing, cooling systems, cosmetic replacements, etc. This applies for small vehicles and big ones, like trucks and buses. Im gonna be honest, and the only ones that are sketchy are for really high end vehicles or some americans like the early 2000 big v8 american pick ups. Gonna add that you can have some spare parts brands that says that the company its korean or japanese, but in the end all the stuff its also fabricated in china, like the iphones. (Used to work on a small family spare parts shop).

[chuckles]

Get an extended warranty, this is a British product in the end. Sincerely a Land Rover owner :)
And yes, what the Chinese car dealer told you is correct. Parts and maintenance even in a non sanction environment is expensive af. Waiting time for a part that is not already in your country is also up to a month.

[lupulflamand]

Great choice! Here in Romania we don't change our cars. We fix our old cars until they are not worth fixing. My volkswagen golf 4 TDI is 24 years old and it has plenty of life left in it. It still drives like a 5 year old car.