ST. PETERSBURG, July 25 (Xinhua) -- As of July 1, about 1.86 million passenger cars of Chinese brands were registered in Russia, accounting for 4 percent of the total, according to a report released by Russia's analytical agency Autostat on Thursday.

Chery is the most popular Chinese car brand in Russia, with a total of 444,700 units registered, followed by Geely with 341,100 units, and Haval with 296,000 units.

The three brands account for about 60 percent of the total number of Chinese-brand passenger cars registered in Russia, the report said.

According to experts from Autostat, currently, the share of French- and American-brand cars in Russia accounts for about 6 percent and 7 percent, respectively, and if the current market situation continues, Chinese brands are expected to overtake French and American brands to enter the top five in a few years.