The BRICS TimesBMW’s September Sales Surge Pushes Aside Chinese Rivals as Parallel Imports Fuel Demand
BMW Reclaims Premium Crown
BMW has become Russia’s top-selling premium foreign car brand again. This happened for the first time since April 2022. Western sanctions had stopped official luxury vehicle imports. Automotive firm Avtostat says BMW sold 1,740 cars in September. This figure is 1.5 times more than the same month last year. The German automaker surpassed Chinese rival Exeed. Exeed had led the segment for the past two months.
Chinese Brands See Dip in Sales
Exeed’s sales dropped sharply by 54% year-on-year. They sold 1,650 units in September. Another Chinese brand, Tank, took third place. Tank recorded 1,530 sales. This was half the volume sold a year prior. Rounding out the top five were Hongqi (1,200 units, up 69%) and Lixiang (1,140 units, down 38%). Russia saw 78,300 new premium vehicles sold overall. This was during the first nine months of 2025. This number is down by about one-third from the previous year, Avtostat reported.
The Power of Parallel Imports
Official BMW deliveries stopped due to sanctions. These sanctions banned cars priced over 50,000 euros. This forced the German company to halt its Russian operations. Since then, Chinese brands have dominated the luxury segment. However, 600 to 800 new BMWs still sold monthly. This was possible thanks to parallel imports, Avtostat noted. An independent importer’s employee commented anonymously: “No sanctions can kill our customers’ love for ‘beamers’.”
Importers Rush to Beat Fee Hike
Chinese automakers reduced their exports to Russia this year. This was due to market oversupply and weaker demand. In contrast, alternative importers increased shipments. They brought in international car brands. Shipments came particularly via China and South Korea, said Avtostat CEO Sergei Tselikov. Imports accelerated after a June announcement. Industry Minister Anton Alikhanov planned higher recycling fees. These fees target high-powered cars, including individual imports.
New Fees Threaten Import Surge
Importers are rushing to bring vehicles into Russia now. They want to beat the impending fee increase. A senior auto trading executive confirmed this. The planned changes could raise car prices significantly. Vehicles with engines over 1.6 liters could cost an extra 800,000 to 2 million rubles ($10,000-$25,000). Most parallel imports are now registered under individual buyers. They benefit from a cheap 5,200 rubles ($65) recycling fee. Tselikov stated parallel imports were about 10% of new car sales in September. This is more than double last year’s share. It could reach up to 20% by December. “Private buyers are in a rush… there are queues everywhere,” an import firm employee said. The government may postpone the fee change. This follows public protests. A final decision on the hike is still pending.
