Russian car market has been falling again since November 2024
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Russian car market has been falling again since November 2024
- During the first five months of 2025, the Russian car market continues to sink into a deep crisis , marked by a drop in sales observed since November 2024 and a growing dominance of Chinese brands. Only 521,652 cars were registered in Russia between the beginning of January and the end of June 2025 (including 307,000 Chinese cars), which represents an annual rate of just over one million units over the whole year compared to 1.55 million in 2024 and 1.05 million in 2023. In conclusion, the Russian market has missed its restart after a very bad year in 2022 (0.7 million units) due to the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war and a year 2024 full of promise. The Russian market had experienced much better years between 2017 and 2021, hovering around 1.6/1.8 million units per year during this period.
- Russia has increased its military spending significantly, thus reducing the resources dedicated to civilian development. Furthermore, the introduction of a new recycling tax by the Russian government on automobile purchases has added to high inflation and rising interest rates, which are slowing down purchases. Many customers are waiting for the return of foreign brands, which is further slowing sales. It is in this gloomy context that Chinese carmakers are capturing the largest part of the Russian market, with 59% of sales in the first six months of 2025. Four Chinese groups ( Chery , Great Wall, Geely , Changan) alone hold 51% of the Russian market. BYD is not among them because the electrification of the Russian market is still in its infancy.
- In summary, the Russian market is in a downward spiral, torn between its military spending and economic and geopolitical uncertainties, but it does not appear that economic sanctions have played a major role in this decline.
BEV market share in Europe (30 countries) over 7 months 2025
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BEV market share in Europe (30 countries) over 7 months 2025
Mercedes could extend the A-Class's career until 2028
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Mercedes could extend the A-Class's career until 2028
- Mercedes had hinted as early as 2023 that its A-Class (C-segment sedan) and B-Class (C-segment MPV) models would no longer be sold from the end of 2025 and that they would be replaced by the new CLA, which was unveiled in the first half of 2025, and by a hypothetical Smart #4, which has not yet been unveiled.
- However, the Mercedes A-Class – as the entry-level model in the carmaker's range – is still selling well in Europe , given the circumstances (34,000 units in the first 6 months of 2025, which could represent 65,000 units over the whole year), while the CLA marketed in Europe from the second half of 2025 is larger and more expensive than the A-Class. For its part, the Smart brand is having difficulty establishing itself on the European market (and even on the Chinese market) due to a positioning deemed too high-end.
- According to internal sources, production of the A-Class (carried out at the Rastatt site in Germany) could therefore be extended until 2028, three years after the announced deadline. It seems that the idea of abandoning a popular model too early could be counterproductive, especially at a time when the electric transition is progressing less quickly than expected (particularly at Mercedes...). At the same time, Mercedes will focus its efforts on the new generation of CLA, GLA, GLB and on a smaller G-Class in order to restructure its compact range around more profitable models.
- On the other hand, the Class B, whose sales have become marginal (7,000 sales in the first 6 months of 2025), could be discontinued as planned at the end of 2025.
Volvo has chosen to manufacture part of the XC60 in the United States
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Volvo has chosen to manufacture part of the XC60 in the United States
- In response to the threat of US tariffs on car imports from Europe, Volvo announced several months ago that it was considering increasing production in the United States, at its American plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina. This plant currently manufactures the all-electric Volvo EX90 (E-segment) and Polestar 3 (E-segment) SUVs, but with demand lower than expected, due to a sluggish electric market in the United States and the positioning of the two models being a bit too high-end, only 16,000 vehicles were produced at this plant for a capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. Inovev had estimated that the best-selling Volvo models in North America could be produced at the Ridgeville site, such as the XC90 SUVs (39,492 units), XC60 (38,892 units), and XC40 (26,557 units).
- Finally, Volvo has just announced that an additional model produced at the Ridgeville site will indeed be the XC60 SUV for North American markets. The transfer of production of approximately 50,000 XC60s per year from Sweden to the USA will take place in the fall of 2026, that is, at the time of the launch of the new generation of the XC60 (which will be available in an all-electric version called EX60). It is possible that a second Volvo SUV will be added to the Ridgeville plant in 2028, and this could be the XC90 currently produced at the Swedish carmaker's site in Gothenburg.
- The consequence of this or these transfers is that the Swedish site in Gothenburg, the current production site for the XC60 and XC90, will lose between 50,000 and 100,000 vehicles per year, which will have an impact on the volume of vehicle production in Europe.
Electric pickup trucks are being shunned by the American public
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Electric pickup trucks are being shunned by the American public
All-electric pickup trucks are struggling to attract the American public , despite the initial enthusiasm observed around models like the Ford F-Series Lightning, the Tesla Cybertruck or the Rivian R1T. In the first 5 months of 2025, all-electric pickup trucks have not reached 39,000 sales in the United States (all models combined), while Ford was counting on 150,000 sales per year of its F-Series Lightning and Tesla on 500,000 sales per year of its Cybertruck . Several reasons explain this lack of interest:
1. High purchase price : Electric pickup trucks cost significantly more than their internal combustion engine counterparts, even after tax deductions. For example, an F-150 Lightning can cost over $70,000, making it inaccessible to many regular pickup buyers.
2. Disappointing autonomy and charging : actual autonomy can drop sharply when towing or transporting heavy loads (typical uses of pick-ups). The US charging network remains perfectible, especially in rural areas where pick-ups are most popular.
3. Unmet habits and expectations : Pickup truck users are often attached to the robustness, mechanical simplicity, and versatility of thermal models. Electric pickup trucks are perceived as less suited to intensive or long-term work, despite their technical advantages.
4. Unfavorable economic and cultural context : inflation, high interest rates, and economic uncertainty are holding back new vehicle purchases, even in the United States. There is also cultural resistance to electrification in some regions of the United States, such as Texas, where pickup trucks are a symbol of identity.
In summary, 100% electric pick-ups face a double challenge: convincing a public loyal to combustion engines while meeting the real requirements of a pick-up.