Andrey Olkhovsky, General Director of Avtodom Group of Companies:
“Now it is incorrect to make forecasts in the current political turbulence. But from April 1, we will see a correction in car prices, taking into account changes in the value of the Russian ruble. There will definitely not be a 1:1 correction, most likely, importers and manufacturers will launch a cascading mechanism for increasing the cost of cars throughout 2022. At the same time, my forecast for a change in the price of cars in the region, plus 20%, remains the same. In any case, it is necessary to look at the dynamics, and only after the stabilization of exchange rates, it is possible to re-build financial models. Therefore, buyers do not need to worry that tomorrow all RRPs will change to the corresponding level of change in the value of the dollar or euro. Demand has now slightly decreased compared to 2021, but the geopolitical component gives reason that it will grow in the near future and cars can be a tool to save savings or a tool to protect against inflation.”
Andrey Kamensky, Marketing Director of AG “Avilon”:
“We have been talking about the fact that it is better not to postpone the purchase of a new car for a long time and make a purchase now throughout the entire period of the pandemic, as the shortage of cars and components does not leave the car market, and prices continue to rise. It is not known what other problems the industry may face in the coming months. The shortage and rising prices significantly affect consumer interest: against their background, demand outstripped supply in all segments. Currently, we are recording a stable demand for cars, there is no surge and growth in traffic in car dealerships, even calls are within the normal situation.”
Vladimir Popov, President of Favorit Motors:
“Prices will go up. The car in this situation is a conservative asset.”
Oleg Moseev, head of the Automarketing project:
“Obviously, on the wave of geopolitical risks that is rolling in, most likely, it is unlikely that anything will change in the near future, respectively, the pressure on the ruble will increase or it will at least fix at current levels, and this is still higher than that. the exchange rate from which current prices were calculated. Manufacturers will have to gradually recalculate the current price tags. This is what concerns producer prices. But in the last year the price of the real deal was higher than the price announced by the manufacturer, due to the shortage of cars. In recent months, we have seen a decline in traffic in car dealerships, respectively, the level of this extra charge has significantly decreased for a number of models. A number of brands even have the opportunity to buy at the RRP, and some can even be bought there at a discount, because the size of the markup has led to the fact that the real price of the transaction has grown so much that the consumer is not ready to pay so much. If the car is needed now or in the near future and it is available (we are talking about new cars), then it is probably worth going and buying. If the car is not needed now and in the near future, I would not recommend buying it as an investment product, because there is a risk that the situation that was during the past year, when the car turned into an investment product, may end abruptly. You should buy a car when you really need it.”