MOSCOW – Russian new-car sales rose 26 percent year-on-year in September to 48,495 units, the Association for European Businesses (AEB) said. The figure was less than the 32 percent growth rate for August.
The AEB is forecasting a 28 percent rise in full year 2011 sales to 2.45 million, compared to 1.91 million in 2010.
"The 26 percent increase for the month of September is in line with our recent expectations of a slowing but still strong growth for the remainder of 2011," David Thomas, head of the AEB's autos committee, said on Monday.
In January this year, the AEB said that Russia could be on course to revisit sales levels last seen in 2008, before demand collapsed in 2009, which would allow it to challenge Germany for the title of European car-sales leader.
Sales will likely jump another 23 percent in 2012 to about 2.9 million units, the Moscow-based trade group said at the time.
Russia was on track to challenge Germany's automotive sales lead before the global economic crisis hit in 2009.
Sources: Reuters; with contributions from David Jolley
