Russia sales drop 2% in July as hopes of full-year rebound decline

New-car registrations in Russia fell 2.4 percent in July to 139,968 vehicles as the country's industry body expressed little chance of a sales rebound this year.

"Seven months into 2019, we find the market down 2.4 percent, both month-on-month and year-on-year. Market expectations until the end of the year are fundamentally no better," Lars Himmer, deputy chairman of the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sales in Russia this year have been hit by low consumer confidence and the introduction of a 2 percent VAT rise in January.

Leading brands in Russia saw mixed results last month. Market leader Lada reported flat sales in July, while its closest competitor, Kia, boosted volume 2 percent. Third-place Hyundai fell 4 percent, while No. 4 Renault was up 12 percent. Toyota, at No. 5, dropped 4 percent.

Registrations at Volkswagen brand fell 3 percent.

* Click here for July sales by brand.

Other winners were Porsche (+16 percent), BMW (+14 percent), Mercedes-Benz (+12 percent), Skoda (+10 percent) and Volvo (+1 percent).

Nissan sales plunged 33 percent, while Jeep was down 9 percent.

Through July, sales were down 2.4 percent to 968,718.