MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s biggest automaker Avtovaz saw sales rise in June but volumes remained nearly 80% below a year earlier, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday, citing the company’s general director Maxim Sokolov.
Avtovaz resumed production of its best-selling model, the Lada Granta, on June 8, after partially halting it in March due to a shortage of electronic components amid Western sanctions against Russia.
In June, Avtovaz sold 7,484 cars, down 5.4 times from last year, but up 24.5 percent from May, Maxim Sokolov said. He reaffirmed Avtovaz’s plans to produce 100,000 to 120,000 new cars in the second half of this year.
The automotive industry, which relies heavily on foreign investment and equipment, has been hit by the global shortage of semiconductors and, more recently, by the departure of international manufacturers due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian car production fell in May to a record 3,720 units from around 112,000 in May last year.
Russia’s passenger car market recovered slightly in June from May, analysis agency Autostat said, adding that the Russian population bought 32,731 new cars. That’s up 19% from May, but still 77% less than June of last year.
(Reporting Reuters; French version Charlotte Lavin, editing by Kate Entringer)
Copyright © 2022 Thomson Reuters