Sales of new cars in Russia fell by 6.2 percent in September

At the end of September, 115.1 thousand new cars were sold in Russia, which is 6.2 percent less than a year earlier, although 0.7 percent better than in August. Kommersant writes about this with reference to Avtostat data.

General Director of the AutoSpetsCenter Group of Companies Andrey Terlyukevich indicated that the negative dynamics in annual terms is associated with a high base. Last year, the expectation of an increase in recycling rates led to a significant increase in sales, but now there has been no similar incentive.

Marketing Director of Avilon AG Yuri Blinov believes that there is no sustainable factor for a noticeable increase in sales of new cars and is not expected.

Firstly, dealers no longer use aggressive discounts because they still want to earn at least something on sales, and secondly, car loans are becoming less and less accessible due to the tough position of banks. The refusal rate for applications remained at about 70 percent in the summer, which represents a significant limitation for the market.

And finally, the buyer of the mass segment, due to stagnating income, prefers to choose cars on the secondary market or continue to use his car.

Pavel Shevchenko, head of the dealership department of the Fresh automobile marketplace, explained that new cars are bought when other expenses are more or less clear, and the current uncertainty limits the possibilities for planning. Because of this, the company is consistently reducing the number of showrooms selling new cars.

Next month, experts expect the situation to worsen due to the suspension of the preferential lending and leasing program. According to Terlyukevich, sales could decrease by 8-10 percent, to 110 thousand units. In turn, Shevchenko does not rule out increasing discounts for manufacturers, which will allow them to increase sales and relieve warehouses.