Russia’s ‘party’ clearly over as January hangover kicks in

Nobody was expecting a strong start for Russia's light vehicle market this year, but Joerg Schrieber's description of a 'bad hangover' clearly conveys the challenges that lie ahead for 2015. Sales of new cars and light commercial vehicles fell 24.4% year-on-year in January to 115,390 units. The decline follows a 2.4% rise in December, brought about in part by attempts to get in purchases before price increases kick in following currency volatility.