MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Sales of new vehicles in Russia increased 12 percent year on year in the first half of 2026 to about 679,800 units, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Friday.

Vintage vehicles are seen during a parade in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 6, 2025. (Photo: Xinhua)

The market for domestically produced vehicles expanded 29.3 percent from a year earlier to around 431,000 units during the January-June period. The share of total new vehicle sales rose to 63.4 percent, up over 8 percentage points from the same period last year, the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

Passenger cars remained the main driver of growth, with sales reaching 610,300 units, up 16 percent year on year. Sales of light commercial vehicles fell 18 percent to 40,000 units, while truck sales declined 9.1 percent to 24,600 units and bus sales edged down 0.3 percent to 4,900 units.

In June alone, sales of new vehicles totaled 127,600 units, an increase of 26.4 percent from the same month last year.