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Reluctant fans
It seems that the occasional claims about the ability of Russian consumers to adapt to change still have some basis. And often in such cases the principle of the common phrase "be patient - you will fall in love" comes into play.
A new case has appeared on the automobile market. Despite the widespread opinion that Russians buy cars of Chinese brands primarily due to the lack of more valuable alternatives, this reason has not become the most important, according to the data of the online survey of Avtostat and Drive.ru, conducted in September. The surveyed car owners were offered several answer options, and the option "No alternative" took third place with 50.6% of the votes.
65.3% of respondents said that the main reason for buying Chinese cars is good equipment and various options. Attractive design took second place (54.5%). 44.3% chose the factor of a lower price compared to competitors, and 47.7% of respondents considered superiority over domestic cars important. 33.5% found it interesting to try products of the Chinese auto industry, and 30.7% were attracted by the quality.
In other markets, consumer adaptation is not going so smoothly. A Platforma survey conducted last year showed that only 23% of respondents believed that Russian clothing and footwear manufacturers had successfully replaced foreign brands, while 33% considered imported food products and 26% considered household goods as substitutes. And according to Nielsen, despite the emergence of new domestic and foreign brands with high alcohol content, Johnnie Walker, supplied via parallel imports, entered the top five best-selling whiskey brands in the first half of 2024.
In the case of Chinese cars, the answer may lie in the effect of self-hypnosis: the willingness of consumers to seek the advantages of the cheapest brand. Then, at the right moment, their attention will switch to a familiar brand. Apparently, this sometimes happens. Toyota, which left the market in the week from October 7 to 13, returned to the top 10 in new car sales in Russia, having sold 852 units, exceeding the figures of Omoda and Jetour, according to Avtostat. And Exceed. But if a Chinese car manages to attract consumers to its side in just 2.5 years, this will be an unexpected signal for its competitors. European, Korean and Japanese brands are expected to return to the Russian market, probably at some point in the future. And Russian automakers hoped that the rise in prices for Chinese-made cars due to rising recycling costs would allow them to compete more successfully with Chinese brands.