Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, General Motors joined a number of other companies and stopped exporting and selling its cars in Russia indefinitely.
The automaker announced Monday that “until further notice,” it will not export cars to Russia while it invades Ukraine.
“GM is committed to complying with the laws and regulations of the markets in which we do business, including applicable U.S. economic sanctions and export control laws and regulations,” the company’s statement read. “We continue to monitor developments and take action to implement mitigation strategies as appropriate.”
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“Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine at this time,” the statement read. “The loss of life is a tragedy and our overriding concern is for the safety of people in the region.”
Last year, GM sold 3,000 cars across its 16 Russian dealerships. It does not manufacture cars in Russia.
This comes after Volvo, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz similarly stopped exporting to and importing from the country.
Volvo was the first international automaker to halt its business in Russia, citing “potential risks associated with trading material with Russia, including the sanctions imposed by the EU and US” in a statement Monday. The company sold 9,000 cars in Russia in 2021 and was reportedly increasing sales in the region.
Volkswagen also stopped shipping cars to Russia. This came after a spokesperson confirmed that two of the company’s German factories halted production as a result of a delay on Ukrainian-made parts.
Daimler Truck similarly announced that it is stopping business in Russia. Its parent company, Mercedes-Benz, formerly known as Daimler AG, even stopped its partnership with Kamaz, a Russian truckmaker that is 47% controlled by Russia’s national government. Currently, Mercedes-Benz owns 15% of Kamaz.
Meanwhile, the companies behind Russia’s most popular cars in 2021, Kia and Hyundai, have remained quiet on the issue and seem to be continuing business as usual.
In 2021 alone, Kia sold over 82,000 of its Rio models and Hyundai sold 68,000 Creta models and 61,000 Solaris models. All three cars were among the top five purchased in Russia. Neither company responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
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Likewise, Ford has a reported 50% stake in three Russian factories. The American automaker did not respond to the Washington Examiner.
