Russian Car-Sharing Service Opens Sourcing Office In Shanghai

The auto fleet servicing subsidiary of Russian carsharing service Delimobil , Smart Mobility Management LLC (SMM) opened an office in China this year for direct purchases of spare parts, the company reported in notes to its financial statements for 2023.

The office was opened in Shanghai to “look for new counterparties, partners, investors and establish relations with them on behalf of the company,” SMM said.

Delimobil said that SMM is focusing on direct purchases of spare parts to optimize fleet servicing costs. “The share of our own spare part imports in 2023 amounted to at least 20% and this year we plan to increase it considerably,” Delimobil said.

Delimobil’s fleet grew by 34% to 26,600 automobiles in 2023. The company added Chinese brands such as Changan, Cherry, Geely and Haval to its fleet last year, and plans to expand to more than 30,000 vehicles in 2024.

It is another example of where Western brands who exited Russia have been left behind in an expanding market.