MINSK, 15 October (BelTA) - Demand for electric and hybrid vehicles is growing in Belarus. This trend is set to continue, Sergei Varivoda, Chairman of the Board of the Belarusian Automobile Association (BAA), told BelTA.
The Belarusian manufacturer BELGEE rolled out a new GEELY EX2 electric vehicle model in Minsk on 15 October.
According to the expert, electric and hybrid vehicles have already accounted for approximately 15% of sales this year. “It is clear that the trend toward electrification will continue, and the share of electric and hybrid vehicles in sales will grow. In terms of demand for features like off-road capability and body type, I don't expect fundamental changes. Urban crossovers will remain popular now. This time they'll be electric," Sergei Varivoda believes.
Sergei Varivoda added that infrastructure capabilities for electric vehicle are expanding in the country. "When purchasing such a car, drivers should be able to go to a charging station, recharge the battery and continue their journey and also have access to comprehensive maintenance services," the expert said.
Speaking about the overall trends in the car market, he noted that over the past two years, dealers have been selling about 50,000 new passenger cars annually. "This is far from the limit. The potential of our market is much greater. We estimate it at approximately 100,000 new passenger cars per year. How much of this potential will be realized depends not only on the activity of automobile dealers, nor only on consumer demand, but also on legislative decisions," Sergei Varivoda emphasized.
Official sales of new passenger cars in Belarus were 2% higher in September than in August, reaching 4,352. Overall, 37,100 new cars were sold from January to September, compared to 32,500 year-on-year, representing a 14% increase. However, the increase took place in the first quarter of the year, and sales in recent months have been on track with last year's schedule. Belgee leads the Belarusian passenger car market with 14,917 cars, followed by Lada with 9,801 cars (including the Largus model), and Geely with 3,910 cars. These three brands also performed best in September. Together, Belgee and Geely account for more than half of the market.
The absolute leader among models is the Belgee X50, with over 7,500 cars sold since the beginning of the year. Lada Vesta and Belgee X70 are also in the top three, but with an almost two-time lag. A key trend is the growing share of electric vehicles. Official market participants have sold 5,616 “green” vehicles this year, compared to 1,998 during the same period last year (a 2.8-fold increase). The top-selling models are the Dongfeng Box, Voyah Free, and Geely EX5.
Experts predict that there will be no significant seasonal sales growth in the final months of 2025, and the market will remain close to current levels.
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