The consultancy predicts that declining sales in the passenger car and light commercial vehicle segments will continue in 2016, albeit at a slower pace of about 5 to 6 percent. It could lead to lower consumption of motor oils in 2016 and 2017, Tatyana Arbadzhi, head of RAMR, said in an interview.

The unemployment growth rate, the populations declining buying power, and the uncertainty for the future are all reasons why Russians decided to cut spending on such expensive things as cars, Arbadzhi noted. The recently introduced tougher bank lending conditions and steep devaluation of the Russian ruble also contributed to this trend.

Last year, the biggest regional markets for new passenger car and light commercial vehicle sales were Moscow, the region around Moscow and St. Petersburg – the most populated areas in Russia. Together they accounted for 31 percent of new car sales nationwide, RAMR said.

In the passenger car segment, the models of Russian manufacturer Lada and Korean companies Kia and Hyundai were the countrys most popular in 2015. Lada held an 18 percent share, followed by Kia (11 percent) and Hyundai (10 percent). In the light commercial vehicle segment, Russian original equipment manufacturers Gaz and Uaz led the market, accounting for 37 percent and 22 percent of total sales, respectively, in 2015.

The consultancy found that low- and medium-priced vehicles increased their shares of passenger car sales last year. Their shares were up 1 and 3 percent, respectively, while the shares of the premium segment were down 4 percent in 2015, RAMR said.

The consultancy also found that vans enjoyed greater popularity in the light commercial vehicle market. Their share went up by 5 percent last year, while the shares of pickups and minivans fell 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively. The negative trends in new light commercial vehicle sales resulted from the decline in the countrys retail and wholesale businesses, a decline in the services and transportation sector, as well as the introduction of tougher bank lending conditions and higher prices for new light commercial vehicle models, Arbadzhi said.

The RAMR research also includes data on new trucks sold in Russia in 2015. It found that the countrys new truck sales amounted to 48,000 vehicles in 2015, or a 41 percent drop compared to 2014. The largest regional new truck markets in 2015 were Moscow, the Moscow region, Tatarstan Republic and Khanty-Mansi autonomous region, Arbadzhi said, adding that together they accounted for 28 percent of the countrys total new truck sales.

Russian truck makers Kamaz and Gaz were the market leaders in 2015. In the same year, they jointly accounted for 57 percent
of total new truck sales in the country. They were followed by Belarus truck maker Maz, Swedens Scania, the Russian manufacturer Ural and Koreas Hyundai.

In 2015, the market share for tractor units and dump trucks declined 0.7 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2014, whereas vans, tankers and multifunctional road trucks increased their share by 2.1 percent, 1.2 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively, according to RAMR. In 2015, low-cost trucks enjoyed greater demand – their share increased by 6 percent from 2014.

The bus market slumped as well, according to the consultancy. In 2015, 9,545 new buses were sold in the country, down 18 percent from the previous year.