Autostat.- As stated by Belarusian car dealers, new car sales to Russian clients have been banned. RBK has reported that the Russian clients have switched to the Belarusian market, in order to avoid the payments on extra imposed options during the process of new car purchases.
The Russian Association of Auto Dealers ROAD, on the other hand, have assured that they do not have any information on the agreement between Russian and Belarusian dealers on the introduction of a ban on car sales to Russian citizens. “In our opinion, such an agreement would not be possible in a competitive market” – ROAD said.
Meanwhile, the Belarusian automobile market is heavily dependent on the Russian market, in terms of new car supplies, both through official and unofficial distribution networks, as stated by experts from Autostat agency. The Belarusian market managed to recover to a sales figure of 25-30,000 units between the 2013-2017 period, following the crisis of 2010, when the car sales plummeted to 12,900 units. The improved economic conditions, coupled with a sharp decline in the gray market, have resulted in the official registration of almost all new vehicles. The new car sales have led to records in sales year after year, reaching 65,100 units in 2019. However, the Belarusian market shrank significantly last year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic (53,500 units, -17.8%) and the negative trend continued in 2021. 30,000 vehicles have been sold within the first eight months of the year, indicating a 16.1% year-on-year decline.
