US-Dispatched Cars Accounted for 96% of Georgia’s Import Decline
Georgia imported 100,616 cars in the first half of 2026, 14,162 fewer than a year earlier. The flow sent from the United States fell by 13,584 vehicles, accounting for 95.9% of that decline. Geostat’s partner-country field for imports identifies the sending country, not the country where a car was manufactured.
The national decline was concentrated in the US-dispatched flow
Georgia recorded 100,616 imported motor cars in January–June 2026, compared with 114,778 in the same period of 2025. Import volume fell 12.3%, and recorded import value fell 16.7%, from $1.939 billion to $1.615 billion.
Cars sent from the United States remained the dominant flow: 76,936 vehicles, or 76.5% of the total. A year earlier the figure was 90,520. The decline of 13,584 vehicles equals 95.9% of the national decline of 14,162.
Excluding the United States as sending country, imports changed from 24,258 to 23,680, a fall of 2.4%. This does not mean every non-US route was stable. It means gains and losses across those routes nearly offset one another in aggregate.
Car imports by sending country, excluding the United States
Geostat defines the import partner as the sending country. The chart does not show manufacturing origin or brand.
Non-US routes moved in different directions
The China-dispatched flow rose from 2,521 to 4,185 vehicles, an increase of 66.0%. South Korea rose from 1,351 to 2,085, or 54.3%. The United Arab Emirates rose from 265 to 514.
Germany moved in the other direction, from 3,950 to 2,457 vehicles, a decline of 37.8%. Turkey fell from 1,356 to 816. Belgium fell from 896 to 198, and the Czech Republic from 468 to 201.
Japan was nearly unchanged at 10,006 vehicles, compared with 9,957 a year earlier. It remained the second-largest sending country after the United States.
The eight largest sending countries accounted for about 97.7% of imported vehicles. Percentages should be read with absolute counts: Germany’s loss of 1,493 vehicles was larger than the increase from any non-US route except China, while large percentage changes on small bases contributed much less to the national total.
Non-US routes moved in different directions
The China-dispatched flow rose from 2,521 to 4,185 vehicles, an increase of 66.0%. South Korea rose from 1,351 to 2,085, or 54.3%. The United Arab Emirates rose from 265 to 514.
Germany moved in the other direction, from 3,950 to 2,457 vehicles, a decline of 37.8%. Turkey fell from 1,356 to 816. Belgium fell from 896 to 198, and the Czech Republic from 468 to 201.
Japan was nearly unchanged at 10,006 vehicles, compared with 9,957 a year earlier. It remained the second-largest sending country after the United States.
The eight largest sending countries accounted for about 97.7% of imported vehicles. Percentages should be read with absolute counts: Germany’s loss of 1,493 vehicles was larger than the increase from any non-US route except China, while large percentage changes on small bases contributed much less to the national total.
Car imports by sending country, excluding the United States
Geostat defines the import partner as the sending country. The chart does not show manufacturing origin or brand.
Monthly car imports into Georgia
HS 8703 vehicle units. The year-on-year shortfall was concentrated in April–June 2026.
The shortfall appeared in the second quarter
In the first quarter, total imports were almost level with a year earlier: 47,211 vehicles against 47,441, a decline of 0.5%. In the second quarter they were 53,405 against 67,337, a decline of 20.7%.
The US-dispatched series followed the same timing. January–March 2026 recorded 36,892 vehicles, compared with 37,246 a year earlier. April–June recorded 40,044, compared with 53,274, a decline of 24.8%.
This timing is descriptive. Customs statistics use the month in which the declaration is received, and they do not explain why a route changes. The April break may be associated with tax, logistics, auction supply, demand or timing effects, but this table cannot distinguish among them.
The shortfall appeared in the second quarter
In the first quarter, total imports were almost level with a year earlier: 47,211 vehicles against 47,441, a decline of 0.5%. In the second quarter they were 53,405 against 67,337, a decline of 20.7%.
The US-dispatched series followed the same timing. January–March 2026 recorded 36,892 vehicles, compared with 37,246 a year earlier. April–June recorded 40,044, compared with 53,274, a decline of 24.8%.
This timing is descriptive. Customs statistics use the month in which the declaration is received, and they do not explain why a route changes. The April break may be associated with tax, logistics, auction supply, demand or timing effects, but this table cannot distinguish among them.
Monthly car imports into Georgia
HS 8703 vehicle units. The year-on-year shortfall was concentrated in April–June 2026.
Sending country is not manufacturing origin
Geostat’s metadata specify that the partner country for imports is the sending country. The field should not be labelled “country of origin” in the sense of where a vehicle was built.
A Japanese-, Korean-, German- or Chinese-built car bought at a US auction and sent from the United States appears in the US-dispatched flow. Likewise, the 4,185 vehicles sent from China are not a count of Chinese brands or of all Chinese-built cars entering Georgia.
The data describe trade routes. They do not measure brand market share, manufacturing origin or final use in Georgia.
Aggregate declared CIF value per imported vehicle
Recorded import value divided by vehicle units for each sending country. Not a retail price or a like-for-like vehicle comparison.
Declared value per vehicle needs careful language
Import value divided by vehicle count gives an aggregate declared CIF value per vehicle. Across all routes it was about $16,051 in H1 2026. The route-level ratios included about $11,924 for the United States, $9,193 for China, $21,707 for Japan, $84,234 for Germany and $113,171 for the United Kingdom.
These figures are not retail prices and do not prove that one route carries “cheaper” or “more expensive” equivalent cars. They reflect whatever mix of new, used, damaged, repaired or specialized vehicles was declared on each route, together with freight and insurance included in CIF valuation. A small number of high-value vehicles can also move the average sharply.
The divergence between a route’s share of units and its share of value therefore establishes only a difference in aggregate declared value per unit. It does not identify vehicle class, condition or quality.
Declared value per vehicle needs careful language
Import value divided by vehicle count gives an aggregate declared CIF value per vehicle. Across all routes it was about $16,051 in H1 2026. The route-level ratios included about $11,924 for the United States, $9,193 for China, $21,707 for Japan, $84,234 for Germany and $113,171 for the United Kingdom.
These figures are not retail prices and do not prove that one route carries “cheaper” or “more expensive” equivalent cars. They reflect whatever mix of new, used, damaged, repaired or specialized vehicles was declared on each route, together with freight and insurance included in CIF valuation. A small number of high-value vehicles can also move the average sharply.
The divergence between a route’s share of units and its share of value therefore establishes only a difference in aggregate declared value per unit. It does not identify vehicle class, condition or quality.
Aggregate declared CIF value per imported vehicle
Recorded import value divided by vehicle units for each sending country. Not a retail price or a like-for-like vehicle comparison.
What the data do not show
The import table does not show how many vehicles remain in Georgia, how many are later re-exported, who bought them or where they were manufactured. It also does not identify the cause of the second-quarter drop.
January–June 2026 figures are marked preliminary by Geostat and may be revised. The relevant follow-up is whether the US-dispatched flow remains below its 2025 level in later complete months and whether gains from other sending countries persist.
What the data do not show
The import table does not show how many vehicles remain in Georgia, how many are later re-exported, who bought them or where they were manufactured. It also does not identify the cause of the second-quarter drop.
January–June 2026 figures are marked preliminary by Geostat and may be revised. The relevant follow-up is whether the US-dispatched flow remains below its 2025 level in later complete months and whether gains from other sending countries persist.
Geostat HS 8703 import data by sending country, queried 20 July 2026. Imports are valued CIF. January–June 2026 data are preliminary.
Methodology
Data: Georgia's official trade statistics (Geostat), customs commodity code 8703 — the heading Geostat publishes as "motor cars" — broken down by partner country and by month, downloaded on 20 July 2026.
What "partner country" means: Geostat's published methodology defines the partner for imports as the sending country, the country a vehicle was shipped from, and for exports as the country of final destination. It is not the country where a car was built. A German- or Japanese-built car bought at an American auction is recorded as arriving from the United States.
Values: imports are valued CIF, meaning the declared value includes freight and insurance up to the Georgian border. Dividing that value by the number of vehicles gives an average declared value per vehicle; it is not a retail price and not a like-for-like comparison between routes.
What is inside the total: code 8703 as published also contains sub-code 870310 — snowmobiles, golf cars and similar vehicles. That was 3,131 units in the first half of 2026, about 3% of the total, at an average declared value of roughly $1,900 each. They are counted here because the published national totals count them.
All imports recorded under code 8703 for Georgia from January 2024 to June 2026. The first half of 2026 covers 100,616 vehicles worth $1.615 billion, arriving from 56 sending countries.
January 2024 — June 2026. Geostat marks the most recent months as preliminary and revises them, so the 2026 figures may still change. Customs records show what crossed the border and when, not why: this report does not explain the drop in the second quarter and does not show how many of these vehicles stayed in Georgia.
Sources
- Geostat — External Merchandise Trade of Georgia, January–June 2026 (20 July 2026)
- Geostat — External trade data portal (HS 8703 imports, by partner country)
- Geostat — External merchandise trade statistics
- Geostat — Metadata for external merchandise trade statistics (partner country for imports = sending country; transit goods excluded)