When importing cars on their own, dealers often prefer brands that are already well known in the Russian market, and in the case of models not sold in Russia, they have to invest in their promotions. Yulia Ovchinnikova, Director of Development and Innovation of the Klyuchavto Group of Companies, told socialbites.ca that her holding is considering importing various brands: Mazda, Toyota, Skoda, Hyundai, Volkswagen and others.
The interlocutor emphasized that Klyuchavto has already arranged deliveries of Mazda CX4 and Atenza, Toyota Avalon.
Avilon Automobile Group, with parallel import and Hongqi, Volkswagen Bora, Tayron and Talagon, Voyah Dreamer, Volvo XC90 and XC60, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Changan UNI-K IDD, Toyota Camry, FAW B70, Jetta VA3, Hongqi H9 Brought it to Russia. ES9,
Gratsin Belenova, director of the wholesale car sales department of Avilon, was listed in an interview with socialbites.ca. He warned that there are no prerequisites for lowering car prices.
We must take into account that car prices are rising and the procurement of spare parts takes more time, said Vladimir Zhelobov, sales manager of used cars of the Avtodom and Avtospetstsentr group of companies.
“At the request of the customer, we can bring all kinds of cars, from inexpensive SUVs to Porsches. The premium segment is our specialty,” socialbites.ca said.
Stocks are kept as low as possible. Zhelobov added that for these reasons, Chinese brands are rapidly gaining popularity in Russia.
Importing cheap cars is not profitable
Oleg Moseev, founder of the Automarketologist project, estimates that cars imported through parallel imports could make up 10% of the market by the end of the year, but the supply of cars in the budget segment cannot be counted on in this way. .
“The ERA-GLONASS devices received when importing such cars have been issued since October 1, 2022, 13 thousand, in January – 3.5 thousand, in February – more than 5 thousand. The volume is gradually increasing, and about 100-150 thousand cars will be imported in a year,” Moseev told socialbites.ca.
He stated that compared to parallel imports, cars are imported at a cost of 3-5 million rubles, mainly due to high logistics costs.
“Except for excise duty and VAT, you need to spend at least 400,000 rubles for the delivery of any car.
This is the cost of logistics, financial transactions. That is why it does not make sense to transport cars in the price segment for less than 2.5 million rubles, because of the high increase in their price, ”explained Moseev.
With that in mind, there is no possibility for cheaper cars imported via parallel imports. The specialist maintained that the requirements from FCS and tax authorities were tightened when registering cars for individuals.
“I don’t think we will see a big expansion in the model range of cars imported via parallel imports. It is very expensive to release cars of an unknown brand, ”Moseev concluded.
To date, the situation remains as follows:
customs clearance of a car through an individual is more profitable than a legal entity using the parallel import mechanism,
Denis Migal, general manager of the Fresh Auto car dealership network, said in an interview with socialbites.ca that such cars are at least 20% cheaper, because in this case it is not necessary to pay VAT.
“Every transaction made through a legal person increases the price of the car at least as much as VAT and income tax, there is a difference in customs payments. In cases where the dealer imported the car “white”, even taking into account this amount, they only work with economically profitable cars, ”Migal explained.
He added that any parallel imports are heavily currency-fixed and given that the delivery time is 2-3 months, this poses great risks for the dealer.
“Parallel imports cannot replace the traditional market involving manufacturers, distributors and the government. They provide a stable price and conditions. Parallel imports are not in a position to impose a struggle on this issue. “Grey” imports are a good toy, but it’s impossible to build a global business on it,” thinks Migal.