illiquid models
Dmitry Rogov, founder of the company RogovMobil, notes that liquidity problems in the secondary market await primarily cars of models that were not popular in Russia even in ancient times:
“Cars that were previously unpopular in the Russian market need to be sold as soon as possible.
For example, a good car, the Genesis G70, which is actively used in carpooling, but it completely failed to enter the Russian market. The same can be said for the Kia Stinger or the French Citroen, Peugeot and some low-budget Renault models, which we did not like.”
According to the expert, this also applies to cars that are structurally close to the more popular Nissan and Mitsubishi models in Russia, but are sold under French brands as part of cooperation between car companies.
“There was a Peugeot 4007 crossover identical to the Mitsubishi Outlander, but it was difficult to resell. People won’t understand. If it’s a Peugeot, you don’t need to buy it,” Rogov said.
In the case of Renault, there is a risk that European models – Laguna and Renault Koleos supplied from Korea based on Nissan units – will become illiquid. The resale of Samsung cars, which are actively imported into the Russian Federation through parallel imports, will also be difficult.
“Samsung cars were ordered because they were affordable; in the future it will be difficult to resell such a car in Russia. “Not only do we not like the Renault brand itself, but here cars similar to Renault are produced under a brand completely foreign to Russians,” Rogov concluded.
expensive service
According to Ilya Plisov, member of the board of directors of the Automobile Services Association, in current conditions it has become unprofitable to maintain most European premium cars over 12 years old:
“Old Range Rover, old BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz – discontinued cars of the penultimate generation are becoming affordable in terms of content and at the same time becoming rare and collector’s items. Torment awaits its owners. Such machines are being replaced by others in current conditions. “In the meantime, they are happy to replace them with Chinese.”
Plisov added that the more exclusive the car, the more difficult it will be to obtain spare parts, there is a direct relationship here.
“If you have a rare and unusual car that everyone is looking at, you are most likely faced with the fact that you cannot get spare parts for it. What we can buy is expensive and takes a long time to ship. Maturities can reach 3-6 months. “This applies to both American and European cars,” said the expert.
“It’s better not to have an accident”
The acute crisis that occurred in 2022 in the spare parts market has already passed, but there are still problems with the supply of body parts to Russia – primarily for European and American cars, technical director of the international network of car service centers Fit Service Alexey Ruzanov told socialbites.ca.
“The driver’s door of the third generation Kia Sportage (model year 2011–2015) previously cost 45 thousand rubles and was available in stock, now the door of the Kia Sportage can be ordered from Korea for 105 thousand rubles. “And the delivery time is 60 days,” the expert gave an example.
According to Ruzanov, a new rear bumper on the latest generation Volkswagen Tiguan, which previously cost 30 thousand rubles and was in stock, is now ordered from the UAE for 60 thousand rubles. The original windshield of the latest generation Mitsubishi L200 was previously available for 40 thousand rubles, but now it is available on order and costs 90 thousand rubles.
“It is better not to have an accident, as the cost of body repair on any foreign car can be half the cost of the car. “In order to avoid having to deal with the repair and replacement of large units, it is important to maintain the vehicle on time and carry out minor repairs,” he warned.
Ruzanov explained that in 2023, owners of Buick, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, as well as Chinese Changan, FAW JILIN, BAW cars face a long wait for spare parts.
“Considering all these factors, we can say that the job will be a little more difficult for those who own rare car models. Owners of popular car brands in our country will not encounter any difficulties in servicing,” summarized Fit Service technical director.
Alexey Shpikalov, director of service and spare parts of the Avilon automotive group, thinks that the main problem is not the increase in prices of spare parts for cars of brands leaving Russia and difficulties in supply:
“The main factor affecting the cost increase is exchange rate fluctuations. These spare parts are imported into the Russian Federation through parallel imports from other countries. For example, if we talk about sales prices in European countries, the change was around 20-25 percent.”
Shpikalov also noted that high-quality and more affordable spare parts analogues have appeared on the market thanks to alternative suppliers.