Figures from the AEB show that sales dropped by 17.3% compared with June 2013 or by 41,674 sold units, and amounted to only 199,398 cars, according to the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee (AEB AMC).

For the year to date, new car and LCV sales declined by 7.6% or 101,266 items in comparison to the same period of the previous year. This year 1,229,839 cars have been sold.

Joerg Schreiber, chairman of the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee, commented: ‘The market continues its downward trend, at an accelerating pace: Compared to 2013, sales volume in June declined by 17.3%, bringing total second-quarter sales down to minus 12.4%. In the opinion of AMC member companies, the market weakness has not reached its bottom yet: Sales volume in the 2nd half of 2014 is expected to reach a level of 1.2 million units, equivalent to a 16% reduction compared with the same 6-months period in 2013.

‘In view of the recent trend, the AEB is adjusting its 2014 full-year forecast for the Russian PC and LCV market to 2.45 million units, down 335 thousand units or 12% from the market result in 2013.’

Among the top 10 bestselling models of passenger cars, nine are produced in Russia.