Russians Massively Sending New Chinese Cars For Repairs
- 12.09.2023, 11:48
There are a number of problems.
The transition of Russians to Chinese cars has led to a flurry of requests for repairs. In the first eight months of 2023, 35% more new cars from China under four years old were sent for repairs than a year earlier.
This follows from data from the largest network of service stations in Russia — Fit Service, Izvestia writes. The increase in the number of repair cases was also confirmed by the federal logistics company Marshall Group of Companies.
“Some Chinese-made vehicles may have assembling issues, which can lead to increased wear and tear and the need for frequent repairs. In addition, such models may have problems with reliability and durability, which can lead to frequent breakdowns,” says General Director of the Marshall Group of Companies 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 car rental company RentCarsSPB.
Problems with the suspension can begin after a mileage of 20 thousand km, adds Skolkovo Technopark resident Dmitry Polunin. “If we are talking about the daily use of a car for owners of megacities, then the annual mileage starts from 40 thousand kilometers. With this use, problems with the suspension will begin within six months after purchasing the car,” notes the expert.
As the Otkritie Auto survey showed, Russian car enthusiasts were disappointed in the quality of Chinese cars. In particular, 61% of Russians believe that cars from China are only partially adapted to Russian weather conditions, another 19% are sure that they cannot withstand the Russian winter.
Among the disadvantages of cars from China, Russians named thin metal and parts that are not designed to withstand high 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 about the suspension being too delicate and not suitable for Russian road conditions, and another 24% complained about the weak paintwork.
According to Autostat, as of July 1 of this year, there were about 1.08 million Chinese cars in Russia. Of these, the most frequent “guests” of service stations (STOs) were the brands Chery, Lifan, Geely, Haval, Changan and JAC, Fit Service notes.
After the start of the war against Ukraine, all global automakers stopped production in Russia. In addition, official deliveries of new cars have stopped. China took advantage of this and expanded into the Russian market.
In 2023, Russia became the largest importer of Chinese cars in the world. From January to May, 287 thousand cars were imported into the country, which is twice as much as in 2022 (162 thousand), Bloomberg wrote, citing data from the customs authorities of the PRC and the Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers.