Anticipated Surge: Car Imports via Vladivostok, Russia, Projected to Grow by 1.5 Times in 2023

According to data from 2023, the number of cars purchased and imported by individuals for personal use through Vladivostok Customs reached 226,000, an increase of 1.5 times from the previous year.

These are mainly cars from Japan and South Korea with a displacement between 1 and 1.8 liters, the press office of Vladivostok customs said. At the same time, starting from February 1, 2024, Vladivostok Customs will change the registration plan for vehicles purchased by individuals for personal use and will switch to a seven-day working mode.

This will ensure continuous and uninterrupted clearance of vehicles while reducing clearance time. In addition, Sakhalin Customs cleared 3,956 imported cars last year, 215 more than in 2022. All vehicles are imported from Japan, except for a small number of cars imported from South Korea and China.

According to Alexey Antonov, director of the Korsakov customs post at Sakhalin Customs, the sanctions have not affected consumer demand. After the sanctions were imposed, the assortment of goods only changed towards more affordable models. The biggest impact on demand comes from changes in exchange rates. For ordinary citizens who import only once a year for personal use at most, scrappage charges have not changed and have had no significant impact on demand.