Dealers, pressed to keep their businesses afloat, began importing equipment on a gray market basis without the consent of trademark holders. These moves, while cautious, reflect a search for availed routes to weather a tough market, even as many fear that official dealership rights are slipping away. Yet manufacturers have not firmly challenged every claim against dealers, recognizing that the practical impact of such imports has grown too large to ignore and that broad legal action would be costly and disruptive for all parties involved.
Importing cars from third countries without brand owners’ approval carries a clear drawback that cannot be ignored. The buyer faces a absence of official manufacturer warranties, which means potential gaps in service, parts, and long-term reliability. This reality forces both buyers and dealers to rethink expectations and read the fine print with renewed scrutiny. Audiences accustomed to the comfort of trusted guarantees must acknowledge that warranty terms for parallel or alternative imports can differ markedly from those offered with standard channel vehicles. The dealer may promise warranty coverage, but the specifics—what is included, the duration, and which components are protected—require careful examination.
In this shifting landscape, even insurance providers are scrutinizing or declining coverage for parallel imports under a variety of pretexts. For instance, when an owner of a vehicle such as a Chinese Bora or a Mazda CX4 experiences an accident, the question becomes where OSAGO repairs can be sourced and whether necessary parts like fenders, headlights, radiators, or bumpers are readily available. The parts supply chain may not be stocked in typical warehouses, complicating repairs. Some dealers attempt to maintain a stock of spare parts by ordering in bulk, but that strategy ties up substantial capital and introduces risk if the market demand does not meet expectations.
So how are parts ordered? The path might run through online marketplaces like AliExpress or similar platforms, raising questions about lead times, reliability, and the legitimacy of suppliers. A waiting period of weeks or even months becomes a real possibility, prompting a broader discussion about the viability of parallel procurement. For this reason, the analyst prefers the term alternative import over parallel import, signaling a deliberate distinction in how these channels are perceived and managed in the market.
There is value in these imports: they bring in models that were previously unavailable in certain regions, expanding consumer choice and introducing new technology. Yet the relief they offer to the supply chain is partial. These arrivals do not fully compensate for the losses experienced when manufacturers withdraw from certain markets. The result is a market that remains uneven, with gaps in availability and inconsistent support for vehicles beyond the usual dealership network.
Photo: Yuri Smityuk/TASS