In August, thanks to parallel imports, new Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Volkswagen cars came to the Russian market. This was told socialbites.ca by representatives of car dealer holdings that also sell officially imported cars.
Basically, dealers import cars in the premium segment as they have the maximum margin,
Andrey Olkhovsky, CEO of the Avtodom group of companies, explains to socialbites.ca.
According to their estimates, the volume of automobiles currently imported by official dealers through parallel imports is around 2-3 thousand per month. The source states that under current circumstances, such supplies are targeted and cannot compete with official supplies from importers.
“The main auto suppliers for parallel imports are the United Arab Emirates and Germany,” says Olkhovsky.
Alexei Starikov, Deputy General Manager of New Car Sales of Avilon Group, says that parallel imports will have a positive impact on the replenishment of dealer stocks and sales dynamics that will help the car market.
“At the same time, it should be taken into account that there is a global shortage of some cars in the industry at the moment, so parallel import is of course not a panacea. It is still extremely difficult to assess exactly what consequences this measure will achieve in the coming months,” Gazeta notes. In an interview with Ru.
Avtodom representatives will also sell warranty certificates for cars imported through parallel imports.
“Cars imported with parallel imports do not have an importer guarantee,
the dealer’s guarantee is additional financial products that the customer can purchase,” the company’s press service told socialbites.ca.
Volkswagen
If Volkswagen officially offered only gasoline and diesel cars to the Russians, now it is possible to buy cars of the German brand with electric drives from dealers.
So, three-row Volkswagen ID.6 electric crossovers in the Crozz modification (pictured above) went on sale at a price of 4.5 million rubles.
This model was created specifically for the Chinese auto market and launched in China in the summer of 2021, the production of the ID.6 Crozz was established in the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture.
In terms of dimensions, the Volkswagen ID.6 Crozz is similar to the Touareg crossover. Cars available in Russia in 2022 are equipped with a 180-horsepower three-phase electric motor, traction is transmitted to the rear wheels, and acceleration to “hundreds” takes 9.3 seconds. Based on ID.6 Crozz’s NEDC cycle, the range on a single battery charge is 439 km. At the same time, an all-wheel drive version of this car is also presented in China, but they have not yet reached Russia.
There are hardly any physical buttons left in the ID.6 cabinet, with most functions controlled via the infotainment system’s 12-inch display. The list of options includes three-zone climate control, speech recognition, blind spot monitoring and lane keeping, adaptive cruise control.
Land Rover
In the spring, sales of the fifth generation Range Rover SUVs were supposed to start in Russia – information about the new model even appeared on the official website of the manufacturer, but the cars did not officially reach car dealerships.
However, by August, these SUVs appeared at dealers and are offered at a price of 32.5 million rubles.
Two modifications are available – diesel and gasoline. The first, the D350, has a 350 horsepower inline six-cylinder 3.0-liter twin-turbo diesel engine. The gasoline P530 is equipped with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine developing 530 horsepower – such an SUV can accelerate to 100 km / h without stopping in 4.6 seconds.
In Russia, cars are available in the Autobiography package, which includes, among other things, 22-inch alloy wheels, three-zone climate control, door closers, Meridian audio system, multimedia with a 13.1-inch touchscreen and rear wheel. steering function.
They also began to import the Land Rover Defender and Range Rover Sport familiar to the Russians through parallel imports.
said car dealers. Some of the cars presented in Russia were produced this year.
Mercedes-Benz
The start of sales of the Mercedes-Benz EQS, scheduled for the first quarter of this year, took place only in August – and also thanks to the “gray” deliveries.
You can find such cars available from dealers at a price of about 20 million rubles.
in the “medium” modification, the 580 4Matic is an all-wheel drive version with two electric motors with a total capacity of 524 horsepower. Such a car can reach 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds and travel up to 676 km on a single battery charge.
The luxurious retreat is equipped with a 56-inch media system – the screen occupies most of the front panel. It is equipped with haptic feedback, it also has a head-up display with augmented reality support. The car is equipped with air suspension that automatically adjusts the ground clearance when changing speed, power doors and a parking space.
As for petrol models from Mercedes-Benz, then
In August, GLC crossovers began to be imported into Russia,
He told socialbites.ca in Avilon. Cars of 2022 are offered with engines of 197 hp at a price of 6 million rubles. and 249 horsepower
Lexus
Lexus LX premium SUVs are also available from dealers, although official car sales haven’t started yet this spring. The cost of the most affordable Executive versions starts from 17 million rubles,
that’s nearly double the base price announced by Lexus’ Russian office in February.
The LX was brought to Russia with a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine. Already in the initial configuration, the SUV is equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen on the center console and an additional touchpad with a diagonal of 7 inches. All but the most basic trim levels include the 25-speaker Mark Levinson sound system.
In addition, the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 SUVs, built on a common platform with the LX, continue to be imported into Russia.
Official sales began a year ago.
what is the risk of buying
Independent automotive industry consultant Sergei Burgazliev warns that one of the main problems when buying a car imported through parallel imports is warranty service.
“Prior to parallel importation, the warranty was provided by a representative authorized by the manufacturer.
Now the buyer should take a good look at all the lines of the contract – the seller most likely will not want to bear the cost of the service, ”
the expert warned in an interview with socialbites.ca.
Also, Burgazliev notes that since the situation regarding the legality of a car imported through unofficial channels is not fully understood, banks can be extremely cautious about buying such a car on credit.
Automobile expert Igor Morzharetto notes that in some cases, cars intended for other markets are not optimal for use in Russian climatic conditions.
“Cars from the United Arab Emirates are produced with a rather weak stove, but powerful air conditioning.
This may affect machine operation at -30°C. But it’s fine in the current heat,” says Morzharetto.
Also, cars from the UAE do not have the “warm options” familiar to Russians, such as heated steering wheels, washer nozzles and windshields, and seat heating is available at best.