The Russian car market will become Europe's largest by sales in 2014, Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Khristenko said on Wednesday.
"The market will fully recover its pre-crisis volumes to by mid- 2013 to become the number one market in Europe," Khristenko told Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma.
He said that his ministry expected 2010 car output at 1.3 million vehicles and sales of over 1.7 million.
The European Business Association (EBA) has said that sales of passenger and light commercial cars in Russia grew by 18 percent in the first nine months of 2010 to 1.32 million vehicle sets year-on-year, while growth in September amounted to 55 percent.
The EBA expects 2010 car sales in Russia to reach 1.6 million vehicle sets against a previous forecast of 1.5 million, including 1.45 million passenger cars.
MOSCOW, Oct 20 (RIA Novosti)
