Growth in Russia’s new car market has slowed sharply amid a large-scale fuel crisis.

This was reported by The Moscow Times, as cited by Ukrinform.

According to data from the analytical agency Autostat, sales of new passenger cars in Russia totaled 25,900 units between June 22 and June 28, representing a 16.2% decline compared with the previous week. Since March, however, sales had shown steady growth.

The downturn also affected the commercial vehicle market. Sales of light commercial vehicles fell by 10% week-on-week to 1,338 units, while truck sales dropped 15.6% to 1,010 vehicles.

On an annual basis, sales of light commercial vehicles declined by 19.2%, while truck sales fell by 6.6%.

Autostat chief Sergey Tselikov described the fuel shortage as one of the main reasons behind the decline in vehicle sales and warned that it could continue affecting the market during the second half of the year.

Alexei Podshchekoldin, head of the Russian Association of Car Dealers, confirmed that the gasoline shortage is already influencing consumer behavior, with many customers postponing purchases until the end of summer to see how the situation develops.

An Autostat survey found that more than one-third of motorists are driving less, while some consumers have begun considering electric and hybrid vehicles as alternatives to conventional internal combustion engine cars.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, amid the worsening fuel crisis in Russia, advertisements offering to "bewitch" cars so they consume less gasoline have become increasingly popular.

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