Halving the number of dealers in Russia is an optimistic scenario, which was shared by Rolf’s CEO Svetlana Vinogradova in an interview with Vedomosti. That is, it is possible to close a larger number of dealers. But her view is not shared by all experts who expect a 15 percent reduction in the number of dealers.
Oleg Shamba, deputy general manager for business development of Avilon AG, is more cautious in his forecasts. He points to the instability of the situation and expects the closure of small dealers and the growth of large dealer networks.
The Russian Automobile Dealers Association believes that the number of dealers will be reduced by at least a third, which is responsible for the shortage of spare parts, factory shutdown and double VAT on the resale of used cars.
The number of official dealers (but not dealers in general) may be reduced due to companies’ refusal to renew cooperation with car manufacturers. That is, a number of dealers are no longer official representatives of brands, but continue to operate and sell cars.
Statistics from Avtostat and the Russian Auto Dealers Association showed that as of April 2022, 3,203 dealerships were active in Russia. That is, by the end of the year, 1,600 of them will be able to close or change their status.