Now the Rich Switch to Chinese 'Tanks'

Are wealthy Urals residents switching to Chinese cars? We explore the trend as European luxury brands exit Russia.

Jul 29, 2026

Selling a Chinese luxury car on the secondary market proves to be a challenging task for owners.
Source:
Ilya Barkhatov / 74.RU

The market for luxury cars has noticeably diminished in recent years. European, American, and many Japanese automakers have officially ceased operations in Russia. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, and other brands stopped production at their plants, halted deliveries, and sold their assets. Now luxury cars are imported into the country mainly on order, without manufacturer warranties, and using gray import schemes.

A ranking of the most expensive Chinese luxury cars for the 2026 model year.
Source:
Philipp Sapegin / E1.RU

As an alternative, drivers were offered Chinese cars — their numbers on Yekaterinburg«s roads have multiplied over the past five years. In this article, experts tell which cars the wealthy are switching to and the downsides of Chinese vehicles.

Haval SUVs were purchased for use by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.

Источник:

Dmitry Kriskovets / E1.RU

«Tanks» at the Top

Vadim Mankov, head of regional development East at Auto.ru, told E1.RU that Chinese brands have already captured a significant share of the premium segment. According to last year«s results, only four cars in the top 20 most popular elite models in Sverdlovsk Oblast were not of Chinese brands.

Currently, according to the service, the most sought-after models are Tank 300, Voyah Free, Tank 500, Exeed RX, LiXiang L7 and L6.

«In many ways, these models have become an alternative to the familiar premium SUVs (sport utility vehicles — SUVs, which include off-roaders and crossovers. — Ed.) of European and Japanese brands that previously dominated the market. Buyers are attracted by the high level of equipment, large vehicle sizes, and more affordable prices compared to previous premium models,» the expert explained.

Is It Worth It?

Alexander Shishkin, director of the car selection company Ekb Cars, believes that wealthy Yekaterinburg residents are not in a hurry to switch to Chinese cars. Some have already tried these brands, but consumers are increasingly choosing parallel imports to bring in familiar brands.

«Premium Chinese cars have serious problems with some spare parts. In the event of a breakdown, wait times can stretch for months. Questions also arise with warranty support at dealerships.

But perhaps the most financially tangible problem for future owners is the loss of value on the secondary market and the difficulty in selling. Cars can lose up to 30% of their value in the first year of operation, and the time to sell on the secondary market can take months even for a perfect car. After all, people value in buying Chinese cars that they are new, they value warranties and so on — but on the secondary market that advantage is lost, and this worsens an already difficult car sale in the current realities,« the entrepreneur explained.

Among the most sought-after Chinese cars in the premium segment, the expert named Lixiang L7 and L9.

«The quality is really good and there is a significant price difference compared to similar models — for example, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. There is also interest in various versions of Zeekr and Voyah,» the specialist added.

The Price Tag

According to Avito.Auto, the list of the most expensive Chinese cars in Yekaterinburg dealerships includes:

Tank 700 3.0 AT from 12.5 million rubles (≈ $131,600 at current rates);

Zeekr 8X 2.0 AMT from 12.2 million rubles (≈ $128,400 at current rates);

Li Auto L9 1.5 AT from 10.5 million rubles (≈ $110,500 at current rates);

Li Auto L7 1.5 AT from 8.9 million rubles (≈ $93,700 at current rates);

Tank 500 3.0 AT from 8.8 million rubles (≈ $92,600 at current rates);

Avatr 12 from 7.3 million rubles (≈ $76,800 at current rates).

And What About Officials?

In 2023, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg) compiled a list of domestically produced cars recommended for use by state and municipal officials for work purposes. It has been updated several times. All are cars produced in Russia under special investment contracts.

Now banned are the familiar Toyota Camry, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Lexus from government garages. Currently, the list includes over 35 models from 12 brands (LADA, Moskvich, UAZ, SOLLERS, Evolute, AURUS, Haval, KAIYI, BAIC, Amberauto, SWM, and Citroen C5 from Kaluga Oblast).

In the past couple of years, there have not been many car purchases in Sverdlovsk Oblast. In spring 2024, ten Tank 500s were purchased for the regional government garage, and as many as 29 Haval crossovers were bought for traffic police inspectors.

A year ago, the administration of Pelym decided to buy a HAVAL H9 New in Premium trim. The head of the settlement explained that his Camry was old and had over 500,000 kilometers on the odometer. They put it and other old equipment up for auction to update the mayor«s official car.

Another mayor who switched to a Chinese car is in Talitsa. In 2024, a Chery Arrizo sedan (an analog of the Toyota Camry) cost the budget 2.7 million rubles (≈ $28,400 at current rates). Moreover, Chery is not on the Ministry-approved list, but the mayor noted that the ministry made an exception.

Earlier, we reported on the rarest elite cars driving on Yekaterinburg«s roads.

Unusual cars for sale, expensive cars on the road, strange and tuned cars — find all this in our story. Also check out what the children of businessmen and politicians in Yekaterinburg drive.