Gray Market Auto Trade Between China and Russia
EU, US, South Korea, and Japan imposed sanctions restricting Russian car sales.
Automakers from sanctioning regions pledged to curb operations in Russia.
Traders reclassify new vehicles as used to bypass approvals.
Zero-mile used cars sold in China discount but sell like new in Russia.
German luxury SUVs shipped from China to Russia per shipping documents.
2025 Autostat data shows 47k BMW, Mercedes, VW vehicles in Russia, 20k made in China.
30k Toyotas purchased, 24k made in China, totaling nearly 130k sanctioning-country vehicles.
Enforcement of sanctions is challenging, with South Korea cracking down and Germany investigating.
Reuters could not trace all vehicle pathways; China and Russia oppose unilateral sanctions.
1 week ago