Against the backdrop of another state “assault” on used Japanese women, salon owners are rubbing their hands in anticipation of additional profits
Import volumes of Japanese used cars are gradually increasing after a sharp decline in 2008. The famous “Green Corner” in Vladivostok is functioning properly again, although the cost of right-hand drive cars is slowly but surely creeping up. Experts predict: there are about two months left before the death of the secondary. On the other hand, purchasing activity for new cars did not fall at all. About the latest trends in the Primorsky car market - in the review of the Business newspaper "Zolotoy Rog".

Even before the New Year, assuming an increase in recycling fees from day to day, the demand for used Japanese cars in Vladivostok began to grow. Instability in the legislative field regarding the “right-hand drive” has intensified purchasing activity. As car market players explained, there are rumors that from July 2, a ban on installing the Glonass button on your own will again be introduced. The market froze in anticipation of the introduction of an increased tax on “scrap”. If everything goes as the sellers expect, Japanese market will close altogether.

Disappointing forecast for right-hand drives
Dmitry ZABORA, head of the company supplying used cars from Japan CARWIN.RU:

With an increase in the recycling fee, prices for certain categories of cars will increase, and supplies of used cars from Japan will sharply decrease by 30-40%. For example, there is such a machine Toyota HiAce, which was not particularly in demand. On her recycling collection is 309 thousand rubles. If the tax increases by 90%, as the government promises, this model will rise in price by another 280 thousand rubles, overall size customs duties will be 2 times more than the cost of the car itself in Japan, which actually indicates a ban on imports. But of course, the seller who bought it before the duty increase will then be able to sell it with a markup of up to 100 thousand rubles. Personally, for us, players in the secondary auto market, today's times are a powder keg. We’ve been working for the last two months, and then what?

I recently registered a car with the traffic police and noticed that almost all the cars on the inspection site—95%—were used. Expensive cars In Vladivostok, only 1-2% of the population buys. Up to 90% of sales in our company are cars up to 900 thousand rubles. “Family-type” minibuses prevail in sales, including all-wheel drive ones, which dealers have no analogues. This and last year it’s just a bestseller - this Nissan Serena. From expensive cars stopped buying Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, in 2017 there were literally a couple of sales of this model. But demand has increased sharply for hybrid Toyota Harrier worth 2-2.2 million rubles.

The crisis is not a hindrance for Lux
Experts note that stagnation and economic decline have virtually no effect on sales of premium and luxury cars. For the most part, such businesses are aimed at people with “above average” incomes. Thus, in the 2008, 2012 and 2014 crisis years, the demand for expensive car remained steadily stable, in contrast to demand for the cheaper segment. However, in 2018 the situation changed.

Sergey VERKEENKO, General Director of TH Sumotori LLC:

I support my colleagues in saying that expensive, new cars suffer the least during a crisis. It’s so arranged that there will always be a client for the “luxury” and “premium” car segment. Coming out of the crisis, as was the case in 2017, demand is stable. A sharp jump in consumer activity, as a rule, occurs during the period when a new model, which car enthusiasts have been waiting for a long time, enters the market.

Sergey Verkeenko agrees that the Green Corner has recently become relatively stable in terms of increasing car supplies. The demand for used cars has also increased, but it is difficult to predict the future trend; there will probably be a serious adjustment closer to the summer, when the fate of the Glonass temporary regulations becomes finally clear.

“At one time, we took into account that difficulties with right-hand drive in Russia and our region would continue, nothing can be done about it, this is the policy of the Russian state. Therefore, our company left the business of used right-hand drive cars. Now we have used cars, but only as a trade-in division, where we sell accepted cars instead of new ones. In my opinion, a person will not buy the first housing that comes his way, even if he is told that “the housing has no analogues.” A thorough market analysis will always follow. It should be the same with a car. Before investing in movable property you need to visit as many car dealerships as possible, compare prices, options, and finally drive the car you like. It wouldn’t hurt to also study the used car market, the same “Green Corner”. The fact is that the cost of many “used” models today is already comparable to the cost of some new car models, says the general director of Sumotori.

Upon detailed analysis automotive market capital of Primorye, you can notice that sometimes people pay almost the same amount for a used car as they would pay for a new one if they studied a little more all the offers on the market for both used and new cars. As an example: 2-year-old right-hand drive Subaru Forester, with mileage, without a warranty, with an incomprehensible history, is purchased for 1.75 million rubles, while in Sumotori the same model is sold “packaged” and with a guarantee for the same price.

Dmitry Zabora has the opposite opinion. He explains: there are simply no equivalent used and new cars of the same class at the same price. And if this were the case, the buyer would undoubtedly go to the dealer, and not to the secondary market.

“Up to 1 million rubles from a minibus dealer or seven-seater minivan you won't buy it. In principle, they do not have affordable hybrid and electric vehicles, as well as “kids” up to 300-350 thousand rubles. I would like to note that the regions - Amur region, Siberia, Moscow, Krasnodar, etc. - take right-hand drive very well. We have already bought cars to Sevastopol and Crimea, but these are single orders. At the same time, as far as I know, local car dealerships selling cars in price category from 800 thousand rubles to 1.5 million, for example, in Siberia there were certain problems with sales, and some even simply closed due to a lack of buyers. The main wish of the average Russian is affordable, spacious family car up to 700-800 thousand rubles, car dealerships simply will not be able to fulfill such a requirement, there are no such prices,” says Zabora.

“Cars are different, and may cost more than some new ones. Many people deliberately buy used cars. Our sales of used cars are growing steadily,” notes the deputy general director LLC "Summit Motors (Vladivostok)" Alexander GUTSALYUK.

According to him, more than 80 -90% total sales premium and luxury class cars are concentrated in the Primorsky Territory. But demand from other regions also remains stable.

“We sell about 100 cars to Sakhalin, Kamchatka, the Yakut region and Yakutia Lexus brand in year. Monthly sales of premium cars to the regions of the Far East are 9 - 10 units. If we talk about price, the most optimal model for the price is Toyota Corolla(from 1 million rubles), a little more expensive - Camry - from 1.5 to 1.9 million rubles, followed by Rav4, the price of which varies from 1.5 to 2.2 million rubles, followed by - Land Cruiser Prado and Hilux (from 2.6 million rubles and above), the leader in this Toyota line Land Cruiser with a price starting from 5 million rubles. However, the price gap of a top-end car Toyota brands with a top-end Lexus is at least one and a half million rubles,” says Alexander Gutsalyuk.

The share of supply of Sumotori cars outside the Primorsky Territory is small, around 4-5%, the remaining 95% is taken by Primorye.

“This is due to many factors, in particular, a guarantee plays a big role, which a person from Kamchatka, for example, cannot take advantage of due to territorial remoteness. Proven fact - a car that was serviced at an official dealer service under warranty and post-warranty, for secondary market is valued much higher than if “you’re out there somewhere,” explains Sergei Verkeenko.

Leverage
The share of credit sales has recently increased from 25% to 30%. This applies to salons. Lending is not popular on the secondary market; Primorye residents prefer to buy used cars with their own money.

“We are not talking about a drop in purchasing power. Who wishes and has the opportunity to purchase with their own funds new car for 2 million rubles, he will buy it. Those who have the desire, but no money, will use convenient lending programs, for which there is no shortage. Today, a loan is very popular, when applying for it the client receives a significant discount on the purchase of a car - the same 100 thousand rubles will not be superfluous for anyone, and the loan itself can subsequently be closed ahead of schedule. Often, a person, having visited a salon with the goal of purchasing a car for, say, 1.5 million rubles, sees the advantages of a higher-spec car during a test drive and decides to overpay 200-300 thousand rubles, using a loan. This also drives the growth of loans in the sale of new cars,” says Sergei Verkeenko.

If we talk about sales, there is the concept of “seasonality of the car market”, usually in summer time holidays, as well as on New Year's holidays, sales are slightly reduced. The country's recovery from the crisis disrupted this seasonality.

Thus, in June-July 2017, non-standard high sales car in Primorye. For example, the demand for them at the Sumotori company has grown by about 30%. The most popular models now are Mazda, Volkswagen and Subaru, they are among Sumotori’s top sales. Toyota sales increased by 35%, while Lexus sales decreased by 2%.

Anna MATSOVSKAYA. Newspaper "Golden Horn", Vladivostok.