Until 2022, ministries and departments refrained from mass purchases of passenger cars from China: the exception was models with Russian registration. However, after Japanese, Korean and European brands left our country, there was no alternative left in some segments. Read about the most expensive, rare and atypical Chinese models in government agencies in our material.
The Chinese bestseller in service is the Haval F7. Thousands of such cars have been contracted for the State Traffic Inspectorate under the Safe and High-Quality Roads program. Another bestseller is the Haval H9: such SUVs have been added to the fleet of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
However, there are also other models from the Tula Great Wall plant in special garages: Haval Dargo in the initial configuration with all-wheel drive was spotted with the color schemes of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to Motor, Haval Dargo X and Jolion were purchased for operational units, but there are few such vehicles.
Haval Dargo
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Haval Dargo
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Haval H9
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Haval H9
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Haval F7
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Haval F7
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The premium Tank brand of the GWM concern has become the main supplier of heavy SUVs for departmental garages. And although the body-frame “Chinese” did not supplant the Toyota Land Cruiser 300, it is the Tank 500 that is the favorite of government purchases among imported cars from the Middle Kingdom. Such vehicles are purchased by the FSO, FSB, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Interesting fact: the bulk of the Tank 500 in government service is equipped with a petrol V6, but there are exceptions – electrified four-cylinder options! GWM prepared a hybrid system for export markets, and such vehicles were taken for testing. For example, at SPIEF 2024 there were approximately equal numbers of four- and six-cylinder Tanks.
Hybrid Tank 500 Urban on the balance sheet of the FSO
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Tank 500
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Tank 500
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Tank 500
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Another atypical representative of special garages is Voyah Dream. The premium brand of the Dongfeng concern offers electric and plug-in hybrid versions with a 1.5-liter “range extender”. For the FSO, they took the second one: you can recognize the minivan with a turbo engine by the gas tank flap in the rear left wing. Previously, PHEV hybrids were not noticed at the conservative special service, although the advantages of combined power plants in the Kremlin garages are well known from the example of the Aurus line.
Voyah Dream
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Voyah Dream
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“Pure” electric vehicles are rarely purchased for government customers: after all, the infrastructure is more or less developed only in megacities, and gasoline analogues are cheaper and more understandable in terms of maintenance and residual value. However, domestic Evolute i-Pro and Moskvich 3e sometimes win tenders!
The appearance of the Evolute i-Pro in Chuvashia was a surprise. The Cheboksary City Hall unexpectedly spent ten million rubles on four battery-powered sedans. And the Moscow City Hall not only convinced the Prosecutor General’s Office to support the capital’s automaker, but also purchased “Moskvich 3e” itself, including in a red color, which is unusual for officials. Ten cars were issued to selected traffic police units across the country.
Evolute i-Pro of the Cheboksary City Hall
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“Moskvich 3e” of the capital’s State Traffic Inspectorate
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“Moskvich 3e” from the Moscow City Hall garage
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“Moskvich 3e” from the garage of the Prosecutor General’s Office
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“Moskvich 3e” of the Moscow Government’s Traffic Management Center
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The Moskvich 6 liftbacks are still rare among government customers, and at first the five-doors were purchased not in Moscow, but… in the same Cheboskary! The Republican Service for Support of Government Agencies of Chuvashia purchased 12 “sixes” even before the big discounts on the model. The Russian-Chinese cars replaced the Toyota Camry XV70. The Moskvich 6 was also purchased in Balashikha near Moscow, but other ministries and departments are still finding imported alternatives.
Moskvich 6
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For example, the Russian Guard and the Ministry of Emergency Situations chose the Chery Arrizo 8 for management – a Chinese sedan that is more modern, but 100-500 thousand more expensive than the top-end Moskvich 6. And the Ministry of Defense purchased a more prestigious model for the General Staff: the Hongqi H9 with a longitudinal engine and rear-wheel drive. For now, the “nines” are imported from China, but this particular model could become the new “Aurus” and be registered at the facilities of the former Toyota plant in St. Petersburg, and in an updated form.
Chery Arrizo 8
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Chery Arrizo 8
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Hongqi H9
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Hongqi H9
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Large Chinese crossovers are also the focus of government customers. The FSB took several pre-restyling Exeed VX for testing, and the FSO chose the GAC GS8 – they took at least five of them in a pilot batch. The models are similar in concept: a 2.0-liter “transverse” engine, all-wheel drive with a rear axle coupling, a five-meter body and many options. Even the prices at the time of purchase were approximately the same: about four million rubles apiece.
Exeed VX
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GAC GS8
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GAC GS8
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An atypical ambulance has joined the fleet of the National Medical and Surgical Center named after N.I. Pirogov. Typically, medical minivans are based on utilitarian commercial models, but in this case, the GAC GN8 was converted to meet the needs of doctors. We are talking about a single-volume car from 2017, which has been sold in Russia since 2020, but has not become popular. The medical institution has a new car, produced in 2023, on its balance sheet.
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The cessation of official deliveries of European, American, Korean and Japanese brands of cars does not mean that government agencies have stopped using such cars: the law allows special services to purchase any equipment, and some ministries use their usual transport, drawing up lease agreements. However, not a single large car company can do without purchasing “Chinese” cars: such are the realities of our market. /m
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