Russia comes to wheels

01234

The Russian car market in February, has accelerated the decline - sales have fallen by 38% to 33% in January. Against this background, premium brands have once again demonstrated growth. This means that the money to buy a car there are only consumers of expensive cars, a massive car sales continue to decline, despite the discounts and spetsprogrammy.

Yesterday, the Association of European Businesses (AEB) has published data on the sales of new cars in January-February. According to the AEB, for two months, they decreased by 36% and amounted to 252,3 thousand cars. Sales in February also fell - by 38% to 134,9 thousand cars. Among the cars the first place brand Chevrolet, the second - Ford, the third - Hyundai (The same situation was in January). The leader of the Russian automotive market remains a Lada, which is almost triple the sales volume is ahead of Chevrolet.

At the same time, sales of premium brands are growing the second month in succession. If the positive trend in January, showed five premium brands (Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Infinity, Jaguar and Porsche), then in February - six: BMW, Audi, Infinity, Hummer, Cadillac and Jaguar (and the last two brands were able to double them) and Mercedes-Benz has kept them at last year's level.

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Rothschild said in a recent study that in the world because of the crisis, demand has shifted toward low-cost compact cars: the segment in 2008 grew by 6% in the premium falls by 19% (see "Kommersant" on March 6 ). But in Russia the situation is reverse, accepts the head of the holding company Genser Igor Ponomarev. Consumer bribes that expensive cars are sold with major discounts, he explains. Dealer STS Motors offers on its website SUV Cadillac Escalade cost 2.86 million rubles. Discount 700 thousand rubles. The representative of Cadillac Roman Skolsky said that the discounts offered to the pre-crisis price, because at the range of Cadillac prices after the New Year is not raised. "

According to Ivan Boncheva of Ernst & Young and Boris Firsov from Roland Berger, a buyer's premium vehicles, as opposed to the mass consumer cars, yet still have money to buy a car. " In the consumer brands of the same mass there is no free money, so the discounts on cars and not save the market: the mass marketing of cars are still falling - for the individual brands just 80-90% (data for February by Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge). Russian brands in the red: Lada sales fell nearly even with the market (36%), and "UAZ" and "gas" - in one and a half to two times stronger. It is with returning demand in the mass segment of the Russian authorities and the automakers themselves bound exit the automobile industry from the crisis. To stimulate sales of large-scale car has taken a number of measures, but in reality they are not working.

In February, the growth of sales in the mass segment showed only a Citroen, Volkswagen, Skoda and Seat. But Citroen (an increase of 100%) the entire year 2008, when the car market grew Russia, showed the fall, said Ivan Bonchev (in Citroen is due to the lack of a single importer in Russia marks). Volkswagen and Skoda in January showed growth, continued the expert, as the lead sound marketing policy (prices range of Volkswagen and Skoda have been reduced even before the crisis).

Showed growth in February and some large-scale model. The most popular foreign cars in Russia has remained Ford Focus, and its sales grew in February at 2%. The second first was the Mazda3, which is made on a single platform with the Focus. Mazda3 has never been raised so high in the ranking of the most popular car (in February 2008 it was 12 th, following the January 2009-th - 10 th), its sales have grown as February (21%), and in January - February (16%). Igor Ponomarev explains is "a fairly significant discount to the level of 95 thousand rubles., That is 17,5%. Success Mazda3 overshadowed third line budget Renault Logan, sales of which fell in January and February. Of Russia's best sold brand new model of AvtoVAZ Lada Priora.

The highest sales growth among the most popular car in February showed Sedan Toyota Camry (166%, its sales rising second month in succession that the Russian office, explain the existence of the Russian assembly) and SUV Hyundai Tucson (102%). At the same time, the mass model Hyundai Accent, which until the crisis has become one the most sold model (January 2008), showed the largest decline in 91%. At TagAZe (collects Accent) the results of February, did not comment yesterday. In general, the decline of auto market in February at the level of 38% was within the expected, said Igor Ponomarev. The fact that premium brands are growing - this is a temporary phenomenon, says Boris Firsov from Roland Berger, but when their sales start to fall, the expert predicted not taken.