OREANDA-NEWS. In 2014, the sales of SOLLERS Group, which represents such brands as UAZ, SsangYong, and ISUZU, amounted to 77,621 units. This is by 10.7% less than the results for 2013 when the Group sold 86,974 vehicles of these brands.

In 2014, the sales of UAZ vehicles decreased by 3%. 49,844 units have been sold over this period compared to 51,624 a year before. In 2014, the growth was led by UAZ Patriot, an off-road vehicle, with the sales up by 10% to reach 21,056 cars. This strong increase in sales of UAZ Patriot followed the release of the model's updated version in September 2014. The exterior and interior of this off-road vehicle were changed. The vehicle also features additional high-tech options such as multimedia system with rear-view camera and LED inserts for headlamps. UAZ Patriot has become a perfect solution not only for off-road environment but also for comfortable driving within the city.

According to Alexey Volodin, Deputy General Director-Sales, SOLLERS OJSC, despite a substantial overall negative market trend in 2014, UAZ has shown excellent results by maintaining its position as the 15th brand in terms of total sales in Russia and significantly expanding its market share among all passenger and commercial vehicles to 2%. "Of course, we also depend on foreign policy and economic factors that had a negative impact on the automotive market in Russia in 2014 but to a much lesser extent than foreign manufacturers. UAZ vehicles have the highest level of localization. New UAZ Patriot enjoys enormous demand. However, this can be also said about other models in the product range. The entire production output has been booked by the orders of customers for three months ahead. I give a positive outlook for UAZ in 2015. We set an ambitious goal to become one of Top 10 in terms of sales. We have valuable products which quality is constantly improving; we have the best price offer in the market; competent and ambitious management; strong and stable dealer network; customers who are very loyal to our brand - with such inputs, we simply have an obligation to achieve our goal," Mr. Volodin said.

In 2014, the sales of SsangYong, a Korean brand, amounted to 25,010 units compared to 34,055 units in 2013. The demand is led by SsangYong Actyon, a crossover, which sales for the period stood at 14,225 units.

In 2014, the sales of ISUZU light commercial vehicles and trucks amounted to 2,767 units, which by 114% exceeds the corresponding figure for 2013. Over this period, the sales of ISUZU trucks grew by 85% and amounted to 2,001 units, while the sales of light commercial vehicles increased by 260% (to 766 units). A marked increase in sales results from the release of new ISUZU NQR90 and ISUZU NMR85 models (gross weight 3.5 tons) in 2014 and the start of successful sales of ISUZU F Series (Forward) medium-duty trucks (FSR90 and FVR34). The fleet renewal program has also contributed significantly to the increase in sales.