Import of tires from China to Russia slows down
The import of car tires from China, which was actively growing in 2024, began to contract. The market is oversaturated, experts believe, especially Chinese brands. Import is complicated by a high key rate of the Bank of Russia and logistics problems. Russian manufacturers, in turn, consistently increase the release. So if Russian brands can also offer competitive prices, analysts do not exclude further reduction of Chinese supplies.
The import of car tires from China to Russia in January -February decreased by 8.5% of the year, to $ 85.7 million, follows from the data of the PRC customs. In the first two months of 2024, imports, on the contrary, grew by 35%, up to $ 93.7 million. The probable reason is the oversaturation of the tire market, which also arose against the backdrop of the activation of the work of Russian factories, the editor -in -chief of the magazine Drive Maxim Kadakov believes. “It is possible that the proposal is much more, so it makes no sense to take it. Chinese tires had previously been brought with a break in. People are lost in brands, ”the expert believes.
The Kordiant holding told Kommersant that the tendency to reduce tire imports from China began at the end of last year against the backdrop of a tough monetary policy. The Kommersant source in the market notes that due to “expensive money”-and the goods are issued in most cases on prepayment-Russian importers began to purchase smaller batch volume. According to Mikhail Koptev, the commercial director of the SKIF-CARGO federal transport company, the difficulties in the logistics and transportation of goods from China, which lead to delays and increased costs for importers, could affect the reduction of supplies. “Perhaps there was a transition of consumers to more affordable Russian manufacturers,” adds a top manager.
Dmitry Baban from SBS Consulting also believes that the normalization of production at Russian tire plants could affect the decline in imports. Most of the “Kommersant” surveyed market participants last year increased production capacities and brought new products to the market, similar plans for 2025. In particular, Cordiant intends to bring the Kaluga tire plant Gislaved for full load (about 3 million tires), and load the Ulyanovsk site by 50%, up to 1.2 million pieces. Until the end of 2026, the holding enterprise (also includes sites in Omsk and Yaroslavl), according to the plans published by the Cordiant General Director Vadim Volodin, should reach full capacity – 15 million tires per year. Piralli reported “Kommersant” about plans to update the model range and the size line in the key to the company to the premium segment. And Ikon Tyres noted that they are developing their sales, including through the release of new sizes.
The tire market for cars in 2024, according to Cordiant, increased by 23% year by year, to 56 million pieces. The structure of the offer for imports accounted for 25 million tires, of which 70% were produced by the PRC. According to Vadim Volodin, Chinese expansion is connected “with vacuum” that arose due to the departure of Western brands, as well as with an increase in the demand for cars equipped with non-standard sizes. Mr. Kadakov adds that the popularity of Chinese tires is associated with low prices. Sales of tires for trucks showed negative dynamics, decreasing by 12%, to 7.1 million pieces. “In the cargo segment, the tires of Chinese brands are also imported in a significant volume. But in the cargo sector, China was always present in the market and occupied the niche of the budget segment, ”they added in Cordiant.
Experts and market participants clarify that a decrease in imports is not related to a fall in demand for new and used cars. The park of cars, according to Avtostat, is 47.5 million pieces, and this volume must be served, Maxim Kadakov explains.
In assessing the further dynamics of tire imports from the PRC, the opinions of analysts diverge. The main strategist « Vector Capital » Maxim Khudalov believes that the supply of tires for cars will continue to decline. The head of the business spare parts and car services in Avito Alexei Golovin, on the contrary, is confident in the growth of supplies. “Now, when an active rise in demand for summer tires has begun, brands from China are already among the leaders of sales growth,” the top manager notes. Mr. Kadakov does not exclude further reduction in imports against the background of production growth in the Russian Federation, however, in his opinion, everything will depend on the price policy.
