Few dealer centers in Russia can offer to buy a new car at a price less than 2 million rubles, Gazeta.Ru found out. The next price change is expected following the March holidays, market participants say, so sellers advise not to delay the purchase and immediately book cars for an advance payment – to fix the price. Many customers cannot redeem booked cars due to problems with banks and loans, so managers are ready to offer their cars to other potential buyers.
So, SUVs UAZ “Patriot” cheaper than 2 million rubles in Moscow are not available, explained in one of the dealerships. A client with such a budget can only afford “UAZ-3741” (“Loaf”). In the car center near the Kuntsevo metro station, they are ready to sell the Patriot only in the maximum configuration and for 2.7 million rubles. You can buy this SUV cheaper in Nizhny Novgorod,
where only cars with a manual transmission for 1.5 million rubles and in the basic configuration remained available.
Another metropolitan dealer, AvtoGermes Lada, told the correspondent of Gazeta.Ru that they might pick up a Vesta sedan at a price of regarding 2 million rubles. For this money they promised a good package with a multimedia system, with an “automatic” and with a “winter package”.
“Conditions change every day. We do everything in one day. If you are ready to buy and you have cash, you need to select and resolve the issue with the manager at the car dealership, ”
– told in one of the Moscow Lada dealers.
In the regions, the situation is somewhat better – both in terms of prices and the number of cars available. In Yekaterinburg, a Lada dealer can offer a Vesta station wagon in the maximum configuration for 1.6 million rubles, and a sedan with an average version for 1.45 million rubles – with heated seats, air conditioning, automatic transmission, parking sensors, cruise control and other necessary options. In the official price list of AvtoVAZ, the recommended market prices (RRP) for such a car are 1.22 million rubles.
“On weekends and holidays, no one will raise prices. Now take the car more profitable than in a week. Some salons will even close for the holidays.
Recently, people from Moscow have been approaching very often. A week ago, clients from St. Petersburg came, they said that everything was empty there, and if it was, with an average price of 2 million, ”
– said the manager of the Lada car dealership in Yekaterinburg.
The capital prices for Hyundai Solaris in the initial configuration with the “automatic” now reach 2.5 million rubles. The manager of one of the car dealerships on the Moscow Ring Road explained that there are no cheaper new Korean sedans yet. On the automaker’s website, the price of such a car is indicated, more than 1 million rubles lower. At the same time, in Kazan, Hyundai Solaris in one of the initial configurations with an automatic gearbox costs 2.2 million rubles, with a manual gearbox the cost will be 90 thousand cheaper.
The Moscow dealer also offers the most popular Hyundai Creta crossover in Russia for at least 2.8 million rubles.
A four-door Kia Rio in an average configuration now costs 1.9 million rubles – such cars can be found, for example, in the salons of St. Petersburg, where the Korean brand’s factory is located. And, say, three thousand kilometers away in Surgut, the dealer is ready to immediately provide Rio in the maximum configuration for the same money, however, there are only a few left.
“I tell it like it is – today cars will rise in price by 100 thousand rubles, the ninth [марта] – another 150 thousand, “- warned the manager of a car dealership from St. Petersburg.
Like a powder keg
Some Moscow Skoda dealers no longer want to name specific prices for models, for example, they promise to announce the offer for the Rapid liftback only upon the client’s arrival at the car dealership. All they can say is that the car will cost “within 2 million rubles.” Although this model is assembled in Kaluga, the most affordable Rapid with an “automatic” is offered at a local dealer in the penultimate configuration and costs over 2 million rubles, its recommended retail price (RRP) is 800 thousand rubles lower.
The bestseller among European brands, Volkswagen Polo, in one of the major dealerships in Moscow costs almost 2.4 million rubles – and this is the second following the basic equipment with an “automatic”.
“You are the third person who called today from Moscow,” said the manager of a Volkswagen dealership from Nizhny Novgorod, and offered a Polo liftback in a similar design, but with three option packages for 1.8 million rubles. At the same time, in the maximum version, you can still find a car with old price tags for almost 2 million rubles.
“We ourselves are sitting on a powder keg, yesterday official price lists for three models came from Volkswagen, there is a very large rise in price. For example, Tiguan has risen in price by 900 thousand rubles,” the source added.
In the auto show of St. Petersburg, the Nissan Terrano all-wheel drive crossover (an analogue of the Renault Duster) is offered at a price of 1.9 million rubles, in Krasnoyarsk – for 2 million rubles. Toyota cars for that kind of money can no longer be found – the Russians bought up the last remnants of the most affordable Corolla model. In the capital, the manager of the Toyota auto center offered a Camry in a good configuration for 4.7 million rubles – from what is available.
If there is a desire to buy a Chinese “SUV” Haval, then the price of the most affordable in Moscow starts from 2.3 million rubles. For this money, a Russian-assembled Jolion model is offered, in the basic configuration and with a manual transmission. In Kaluga, the same crossovers are offered for 1.8 million rubles.
“Their prices have been raised by regarding 300,000 rubles at a time and have been raised by 100,000 for three days in a row. Because, most likely, there will be no more cars, – they said in the Haval dealer center in the capital. – The plant does not understand what will happen to the ruble:
we paid for regarding 60 cars – and they simply returned the money to us. There are regarding 120 cars in the warehouse, enough to trade for a week or two.”
Another popular Chinese brand in Russia, Chery, has only one model left cheaper than 2 million rubles – Tiggo 4. The sales department of a dealer from St. Petersburg said that they were ready to sell crossovers for 1.4-1.8 million rubles. In Tyumen, everything is not easy with deliveries – one of the dealers has the only Tiggo 4 with a manual gearbox with additional equipment – for 1.7 million rubles.
Now many are mistaken in believing that buying a car is a very good investment of money, says Igor Morzharetto, a car observer for Vesti.FM radio. The car becomes more expensive over the years or keeps the price only if it is a collector’s item, he noted.
“Even if it seems to you that you have won in rubles, the result will turn out that if you recalculate the currency, you still lost. It will be possible to talk regarding whether the price is now objective or not only following the course calms down. All this is done on some kind of platoon, on a rush, on the run. Buying a car is an action for many years to come,” the expert noted.
