Russia's "parallel import" craze 20 cars released: Mazda CX-5 tops, SUVs continue to dominate the market

In the first four months of 2026, the number of new passenger cars entering the market in Russia through the "alternative import/parallel import" channel increased by 94% year-on-year. In this round of growth, the most popular models are not China brands, but mainly Japanese and German SUVs...

According to data released by Sergey Tselikov, an expert at the Russian automotive data agency "Автост а т" on its Telegram channel, in the first four months of 2026, Russia entered the market through the "alternative import/parallel import" channel. The number of new passenger cars increased by 94% year-on-year. In this round of growth, the most popular models are not China brands, but mainly Japanese and German SUVs.

Mazda CX-5 becomes Russia's "number one car" imported in parallel

Data shows that in the first four months of this year, among the new cars entering Russia through alternative imports, the Mazda CX-5 ranked first in sales, with a total of about 5800 imported vehicles.

The subsequent rankings are:

Toyota RAV4: approximately 3300 vehicles;

Toyota Highlander: approximately 3000 vehicles;

Audi Q5: About 2200 vehicles;

BMW X3: About 1600 vehicles.

Also in the top ten include:

Skoda Superb

Volkswagen Tiguan

Geely Monjaro (Geely Xingyue L Overseas Edition)

Toyota Camry

Nissan Qashqai

In the last ten, more China brands and new energy models appear, such as:

Zeekr X9

Lynk & Co 900

Geely Galaxy Starship 7

This shows that although the Russian market still prefers traditional Japanese and German brands, China brands have begun to enter the list of "high-end alternative imports", especially in the fields of new energy and large size SUV.

Russian buyers value "familiar brands +SUV" more

Judging from the structure of the list, the current preferences of Russian consumers are very clear:

First, SUVs are still the absolute mainstream;

Second, brand recognition is more important than "whether it is a new model".

Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and other brands that have long established a foundation in the Russian market are still the easiest to deal with. Even if vehicles are imported through substitute imports, Russian buyers are still willing to pay as long as the brand is familiar, the value preservation rate is high, and the maintenance system is mature.

At the same time, the way in which China brands began to emerge is also worthy of attention. People like Geely Monjaro, Zeekr X9, and Lynk Co900 have entered the top 20, indicating that the Russian market's acceptance of China's high-profile models and new energy products is increasing, but at present, it is still more concentrated on the "mid-to-high-end substitution" level rather than completely replacing traditional brands.

High interest rates are suppressing Russian new car consumption

Zelikov had also conducted an investigation before. The results show that the main reason for the current decline in demand for new cars in Russia is the high interest rate on bank loans, which was mentioned by 63% of respondents.

In addition:

43% believe that residents 'purchasing power has declined;

25% chose to "continue to wait and see", waiting for global car brands to return to the Russian market in the future.

This means that Russian consumers are now becoming more and more cautious about buying cars, especially high-priced new cars. For many people, what car to buy depends not only on whether they like it or not, but also on loan costs, post-maintenance and future residual value.

Source: Guangdong Good Car

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