The car market is collapsing worldwide as a result of the corona crisis. It will be no different in Russia, but at the last moment there was something special going on there. Car sales suddenly picked up on that.
In Western Europe, March depicted a bleak picture of car sales. In southern European countries, the market sometimes fell by up to 80 percent and in the Netherlands, too, the corona crisis was already clearly reflected in the sales figures. The next few months may show some signs of recovery, but the blows continue to hit hard. It remains to be seen how quickly sales will pick up again once industry and normal life start to recover. The economic consequences of the crisis naturally also have an effect on the purchasing power of consumers.
In Russia, it was already anticipated that it will probably be more difficult to buy a new car in the near future. That, but especially the sharp fall in value of the Russian ruble, spurred according to Autostat many people to get started quickly. It may take a long time for cars in Russia to become as affordable again as they have been in recent months. In March, as many as 23 percent more cars were sold in Russia than in the same month last year. The first quarter was 16 percent more positive than a year earlier. Massive increases relative to the car market in Western Europe and the US.
The most successful manufacturer was Avtovaz, which traditionally has a solid hold on that position in the home country. Lada’s parent company saw sales increase by 6.6 percent (compared to March 2019) to 31,600. Kia is in second place, with 23,600 cars sold (+35 percent). Hyundai follows in third place, with 18,000 cars (+29.3 percent). Renault and Volkswagen complete the top five.