Russian passenger tire production falls nearly a quarter in Q1 2026
Russian passenger car tire output dropped 23.26% year-on-year to 6.66 million tires in the first quarter of 2026, according to Kommersant. Overall market sales held roughly flat as a near-25% rise in imports, mostly from China, offset an approximately 20% decline in domestic producers' sales.
Passenger tire production falls 23% in the first quarter
Russian output of passenger car tires dropped nearly a quarter in the first quarter of 2026, according to Kommersant. Production fell 23.26% year-on-year to 6.66 million tires, a decline reported on May 6. A separate count cited by the newspaper put output between January 1 and April 15 at 7.4 million tires, down 23.8% from the same period a year earlier.
Despite the drop at domestic plants, overall market sales held roughly flat. A Kommersant survey of large manufacturers found first-quarter passenger tire sales stayed at last year's level, with a possible decline of no more than 2%. One industry source said Russian producers' combined sales probably fell about 20%, but a roughly 25% rise in imported tire sales replaced that volume and kept the market steady.
Imports from China fill the gap
China and South Korea are the main suppliers of passenger tires to Russia, with China accounting for around 70% of tire shipments. Imports of passenger tires from China rose 53% in units to 6.44 million tires in the first quarter, and 27% in value to $154.28 million, according to China's General Administration of Customs data cited by Kommersant.
Imports grew even as unsold stock remained on the market. Kordiant chief executive Dmitry Gorbachev confirmed the overstocking, attributing it to seasonal demand and unrealized accumulations from earlier periods. He said the surplus sharpens price competition, squeezes margins, and makes dealers more cautious about new purchases, delaying decisions until closer to the season.
Trade defense case underway
Tire producers have initiated a special safeguard investigation at the Eurasian Economic Commission covering passenger and light-truck tires imported into the EAEU, citing a sharp rise in imports. The probe could result in quotas and duties, Kommersant reported on April 16.
Market data is tracked by CRPT, operator of the "Chestny Znak" labeling system, but exact figures have not been published since 2025. In the first quarter of 2024, passenger tire sales reached 26.8 billion rubles, according to previously released CRPT data; Kommersant reports that 2025 sales ran below the prior year.
Producers and outlook
Russian manufacturers did not disclose their own sales. Kordiant said shipments to distributors met planned levels, with a year-on-year deviation of less than 10%. Ikon Tyres reported falling demand across all three of its brands in Russia — the premium and mid-range Ikon and the budget Attar and Bars — in line with the broader market. The company linked the decline to the steep fall in new car sales in 2022 and the absence of meaningful demand growth in 2023, since those buyers would now be due for new summer sets.
Weather also played a role: abnormal snowfalls lifted winter tire sales in January and February, while a later start to the summer season pushed some shipments into the second quarter. Gorbachev expects full-year sales near 2025 levels, citing high inflation, weaker household purchasing power, and a trend toward extending tire life to five or six years. Pirelli likewise expects passenger tire sales close to last year's or slightly higher, with possible growth in the winter segment if the car market sustains the momentum seen in March.
