In the first quarter of 2025, half of the 20 best-selling automobile brands in Kazakhstan were Chinese. Car sales are growing at a double-digit rate, and manufacturers from China account for an increasing number of new registrations, according to the latest statistics from the Kazakhstan Automobile Union (KAU).
Kazakhstan’s car market continues to gain momentum. According to KAU, 19,600 passenger cars and commercial vehicles were sold in March alone, marking a 23.4% year-on-year increase. In the first quarter overall, dealers sold 46,800 cars in total, which is 18.8% higher than the figure for the same period last year. Chinese cars account for a significant share of these sales.
«The year 2024 was a record high in sales, and the current year is likely to be no less successful. All this growth is driven by official dealers who promote sales by offering their customers preferential lending programs, services and bonuses,» said President of KAU Anar Makasheva.
Car sales in Kazakhstan: March results
Hyundai remained the best-selling brand in March. That month, Kazakhstanis bought 4,500 passenger cars from the South Korean brand, a 32.8% increase compared to the previous year. Chevrolet holds the second position with 2,700 cars sold (+99.3%), while Kia is third with 2,100 cars (+17.1%).
Starting from fourth place, Chinese cars filled out the rest of the list of best-selling cars. These include Jetour (1,400; +74.4%), Chery (1,300; +2.7%), Haval (1,300; +14.6%), Jac (1,000; +54.3%), Geely (1,300; +45.6%) and Changan (703; -42.1%). In other words, five out of ten most popular brands in March were of Chinese origin.
The list of the best-selling models last month also includes the Chevrolet Cobalt (2,200), followed by the Hyundai Tucson (1,700), Kia Sportage (1,000), Hyundai Mufasa (955) and Haval M6 (607). Other models include Chinese entries such as Chery Tiggo 2, Geely Emgrand and Jac S3.
Q1 results
A total of 10 Chinese brands made it into the top twenty market leaders by the end of the quarter. Hyundai topped the rankings (11,705 cars; +26.2%), followed by Chevrolet (6,009; +80.1%) and Kia (4,905; +0.6%). Jetour, with sales of 3,103 cars (+61.2%), occupied the fourth position, while Chery closed the top five with 3,097 cars sold. The current dynamics show that Chinese cars have gained a foothold in Kazakhstan’s market, becoming full-fledged competitors with growing consumer confidence thanks to competitive prices, car features and maintenance services.
