Polk predicts Russian car market will rise

Published: Feb. 22, 2008 at 10:50 AM
Order reprints
ESSEN, Germany, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Automotive industry researcher R. L. Polk said Friday that Russia will become Europe's largest market for new cars by 2010.

The forecast is based on an upswing in new automobile registrations in Russia and stagnating sales in other European countries, the report said.

Exceeding 2 million for the first time, new car registrations in Russia reached 2.35 million in 2007 with new car sales topping 1 million in each of the past 5 years, the researcher said.

Polk estimated new car registrations to hit 3.7 million by 2010, a 60 percent increase.

"For Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia and Chevrolet, Russia represents the strongest European market in terms of sales," said industry analyst Ulrich Winzen.

While demand for cars is on the upswing in Russia, AvtoVAZ, maker of the best-selling Russian car Lada, has seen its share of the market declining in recent years, falling from 70 percent of the market in 2002 to 27 percent of the market in 2007, the report said.


© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Scientists sequence the DNA of melons (6 min)
UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News (20 min)
UPI NewsTrack TopNews (25 min)
Report: Rowe won't attend Jackson memorial (39 min)
Indonesia province declares AIDS emergency (40 min)
China violence death toll rises to 156 (41 min)
U.S., Russia reach accord on Afghanistan (44 min)
3 gunmen, over 100 shots fired, automatic weapons used and about 100 people at the party, yet no...
Bayer gets stiffed by Levitra pill heist. Police have no hard evidence, but are cock-sure they will...
US and Russia agree to reduce their number of nuclear warheads, which makes Obama look good and...
New University of Chicago policy allows men and women to share dorm rooms. Giggity 101
What happens when some loser posts a comment saying "we need to take the country back from these...
Marion Barry is going with the "biatch changed her mind about a weekend vacation" defense. Wait,...