Russia's new car sales have increased 14 percent to 1.67 million units through the first seven months of the year, good enough to overtake France in terms of overall vehicle sales.
However, most analysts predict Russia will pass Germany before the end of the decade.
The country's sales could cool during the final months of 2012, though, as Russia is expected to end the year with an 8 percent sales growth to 2.85 million units.
Russia's Lada brand remains the nation's top selling brand, but Chevrolet and France's Renault aren't far behind. Several Chinese companies, such as Chery and Geely, are also making significant headway in the country.
