Since the Russians began to switch to Chinese cars, the need to repair them has also increased sharply. In the first eight months of 2023, more than 35% of new cars from China under four years old were sent for repairs, compared to a year earlier.
This is according to data from the largest network of gas stations in Russia – Fit Service, writes in “Izvestia”, quoted by “Moscow Times”. The increased number of repairs was also confirmed by the federal logistics company “Marshall”.
“Some Chinese-made cars may have build quality issues, which may lead to increased wear and tear and the need for frequent repairs. Additionally, such models may have reliability and durability issues, which may lead to frequent breakdowns.” says the general director of “Marshal” Mikhail Belousov.
“The suspension of most Chinese cars, for example, is not ready for commercial use. It cannot withstand heavy loads when used in taxi mode,” notes Alexander Vinogradov, director of the rental car company RentCarsSPB.
Problems with the suspension can begin after a mileage of 20 thousand km, adds Dmitry Polunin from Technopark “Skolkovo”. “If we talk about the daily use of a car for owners from megacities, then the annual mileage is 40 thousand km. With this use, suspension problems will begin within six months after the purchase of the car,” notes the expert.
As the Otkritie Avto survey showed, Russian car enthusiasts were disappointed with the quality of Chinese cars. In particular, 61% of Russians believe that cars from China are only partially adapted to Russian climatic conditions, another 19% are sure that they cannot withstand the Russian winter.
Among the shortcomings of cars from China, the Russians pointed out thin metal and parts that are not designed to withstand large lateral loads and torsion (44%), corrosion of metal that is not always ready for winter use (42%), as well as low – quality electronics and spare parts (29%).
28% complained that the suspension was too light and unsuitable for Russian road conditions, and another 24% complained about the weak paint.
According to “Avtostat”, as of July 1 this year, there were about 1.08 million Chinese cars in Russia. Among them, the most frequent “guests” of car service centers were the brands Chery, Lifan, Geely, Haval, Changan and JAC, notes Fit Service.
After the start of the war against Ukraine, all world car manufacturers stopped their production in Russia. In addition, official deliveries of new cars have been suspended. China took advantage of this and entered the Russian market.
In 2023, Russia became the largest importer of Chinese cars in the world. From January to May, 287,000 cars were imported into the country, which is twice as many as in 2022 (162,000), according to the Bloomberg agency, citing data from
