The Week in Cars: Li Auto Hacking, October Sales, the Monjaro Rumour and the 2027 Recycling Fee

Li Auto owners in Russia are having their car accounts hacked: the screens go dark, the climate control stops working, and some cars will not start until a ransom is paid. That is the main story of the week from 31 October to 6 November 2026. Alongside it: October sales results, a rumour that Geely is pulling the Monjaro, the 2027 recycling fee and five more short news items.

In short

• Fraudsters steal the main Li Auto account and demand 35,000–45,000 roubles to give access back.
• October was the best month of the year for sales, but 19.8% down on a year earlier.
• Tenet grew 77%, Geely fell almost 45%. The Haval Jolion is the best-selling crossover again.
• The rumour about the Monjaro and Atlas leaving is not confirmed: both are listed in stock on Geely's website.
• From 1 January 2027 the recycling fee for passenger cars rises by about 10%, and some sellers importing from China have paused orders.

1. Li Auto hacking: the car will not start without a ransom

Russian Li Auto owners tell the same story. Fraudsters get into the car's main account, the app account used to control the car. After that the screens go dark, the climate control stops working, and some cars will not start at all.

The Lixiang owners' club for Russia and the CIS knows of 20 victims and believes the real number is several times higher. In summer 2025 the ransom reached 200,000–250,000 roubles; now fraudsters ask for 35,000–45,000. Club co-founder Alexander Rasskazov puts it this way: "This is no longer one-off blackmail, it is a conveyor belt built for volume."

The official distributor, Sinomach Auto, said Li Auto is working with it on account protection and access recovery. On 2026 model-year cars the account can already be moved from a Chinese phone number to an e-mail address. No date was given for other cars.

What owners should do:

• never share logins or SMS codes, even with companies offering to translate or reflash the car's software;
• keep the Chinese phone number linked to the account active;
• if access is lost, contact Li Auto support in Russia straight away.

A separate story in China: Li Auto owners there receive fake airbag "recall" messages with a two-hour deadline to register. The company said there is no such recall and the website in the messages is not its own.

2. October: best month of the year, but down 20%

In October 2026, 132,900 new passenger cars were sold in Russia. That is the best month since the start of the year and 8.2% more than in September, but 19.8% less than in October 2025. The Association of European Businesses explains it by a high base: a year ago buyers rushed to beat the recycling fee increase. Subsidised car loans are expected to resume on 1 December.

Tenet sold almost twice as many cars as Geely. The Lada Granta stayed the best-selling model (11,594), and the Haval Jolion took back first place among crossovers (7,102). Second was the Tenet T7 (6,337, +74.2%).

3. True or rumour: is Geely pulling the Monjaro?

In early November Russian media wrote that Geely is winding down supplies of the Monjaro, Atlas and Preface and that Volga-badged cars will take their place. Not a single source was named.

We checked Geely's official Russian website on 6 November 2026: the Monjaro, Atlas and Preface are still listed with prices and marked "In stock", and the Monjaro has a November discount. For now it is a rumour. If Geely or its dealers confirm it, we will report it.

4. The 2027 recycling fee and ordering a car from China

From 1 January 2027 the recycling fee for passenger cars rises again, by about 10%. This is the next step of an increase schedule set out to 2030. We covered the rates in detail in our article on the 2027 recycling fee.

The market is already reacting. Some companies importing cars from China have paused new orders because of delivery times and new rules for exporting cars from China. There are queues at the Khorgos border crossing, now made worse by snow and ice. According to Gleb Schneider (SpetsAvtoTrade), a car from Korea now takes about a week, from Japan four to six weeks.

5. In brief

• Moskvich. Sales of the M70 and M90 crossovers rose almost 80% in October compared with September: M70 +89%, M90 almost +50%. The brand did not give unit numbers.
• Former Mercedes plant in Esipovo. Andrei Olkhovsky, CEO of Avtodom: "The site is being prepared for a launch with a new partner in the first quarter of 2027. All the Mercedes-Benz equipment is intact and packed." The partner has not been named.
• Changan UNI-Z. The crossover is now officially sold in Russia: Luxe 3,249,900 roubles, Techno 3,349,900 roubles. 1.5 turbo with 147 hp, 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, front-wheel drive.
• Range Rover Evoque and Velar. According to preliminary information from Autocar, both will end production in 2027 with no new generations.
• M-11 Neva motorway. From km 59 to km 680 the winter speed limit is 110 km/h instead of 130, until 11 April 2027.
• Transport tax. The tax for 2025 must be paid by 1 December; penalties start on 2 December.

The bottom line

Sales are growing month on month but are still far below last year. And the most unpleasant news of the week is about a car that someone else can switch off.

Where the figures come from

• Li Auto: Alexander Rasskazov, co-founder of the Lixiang owners' club for Russia and the CIS, and the response of distributor Sinomach Auto, Autonews, 2 November 2026; fake recall in China: Li Auto statement, 5 November 2026.
• October sales: Autostat and the Association of European Businesses, 5 November 2026.
• Geely Monjaro, Atlas, Preface: official website geely-motors.com, 6 November 2026.
• 2027 recycling fee: coefficient schedule in the government decree; paused orders and delivery times: market participants, Autonews, 5 November 2026.
• Moskvich: brand press office. Esipovo plant: interview with Andrei Olkhovsky, 2–3 November 2026. Changan UNI-Z: prices from the launch. Evoque and Velar: Autocar. M-11: Avtodor. Transport tax: Federal Tax Service.