The import of Chinese tires to Russia has decreased
Recently, the main trend in the Russian tire market has been the rapid expansion of Chinese brands. According to "Cordiant", last year 70% of tires imported from abroad were made in China, with imports totaling 25 million tires, out of a total market volume of 56 million tires. In January-February of last year, Chinese tire shipments increased by 35% to $93.7 million, but it seems that the market is becoming oversaturated, as in the first two months of 2025, tire imports from China decreased by 8.5% to $85.7 million. This is reported by "Kommersant" citing data from Chinese customs.
"It's possible that the supply is much greater, so there's no point in bringing more. Chinese tires were previously imported in excess. People are getting lost in the brands," said Maxim Kадakov, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Behind the Wheel", to the publication, while "Cordiant" reported that the decline in imports from China began at the end of last year "against the backdrop of a tight monetary policy".
Mikhail Koptev, commercial director of the federal transport company "Scyth-Cargo", believes that the reduction in imports may be due to logistical difficulties that create delays and increase costs for importers. "Perhaps there has been a shift in consumer preferences to more affordable Russian manufacturers," he added.
"Cordiant", which recently officially re-launched the former Bridgestone plant in Ulyanovsk, plans to load this site by 50% (1.2 million units) in 2025, and also bring the enterprise in Kaluga to full capacity (3 million tires). By the end of 2026, it is planned to bring all the holding's plants (there are also sites in Omsk and Yaroslavl) to full capacity, which is 15 million tires per year.
In Pirelli, they stated that they are updating the model range in the premium segment, and in Ikon Tyre, they reported that they are increasing sales, including by adding new sizes to the range.
As noted by Vadim Volodin, General Director of "Cordiant", Chinese players were able to increase their share of the Russian market so much due to the departure of Western brands, as well as an increase in demand for cars from China equipped with non-standard size tires. Maxim Kадakov stated that the reason for their popularity is also the low cost of tires. He also added that there is a possibility of further reducing imports against the backdrop of increasing tire production in Russia, but emphasized that everything will depend on the pricing policy of suppliers.