In May, the Ministry of Industry and Trade approved a list of goods for parallel imports, and it seemed that the problem of importing new cars into Russia through the official channels had been solved. But suddenly a new problem arose.
According to the law, Customs was not allowed to let cars through without a Vehicle Type Approval (OTTS). This document can only be obtained with the permission of the manufacturer.
In the summer, this restriction was lifted and legal entities were given the opportunity to transport new cars from other countries and to certify vehicles in a simplified way.
One of the pioneers in the delivery of cars is the holding company Avilon, which already sells the “parallel” Range Rover, Land Rover Defender, Range Rover Sport, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Volkswagen ID.6 and Audi Q5 E-tron.
Car deliveries via parallel imports should reduce the deficit, albeit not completely. Under the parallel import scheme, it is more economical to import premium cars, which will mainly saturate this segment. Budget models and cars in the mid-price segment will be delivered to showrooms by Russian, Chinese and in the future Iranian car manufacturers.
“First of all, dealers import premium models. In this market segment, this channel partly solves the problem of the car shortage. At the moment, however, the number of cars imported through parallel imports cannot be compared with the volumes of cars delivered to our country before the imposition of sanctions,” quotes Izvestia Sergei Burgazliev, an independent advisor to the automotive industry.