Expensive "iron horse": showrooms have only few cars, and their prices are growing

Yelena Ivanova, Natalia Seibil

The fact that the rich have become even richer during the pandemic is no longer news to anyone. Thus, the country's 50 largest car dealerships increased their revenue in the first half of the year by 2.5 times - up to 1 trillion 200 million rubles.

The journalist Igor Morzharetto is not surprised. Another thing surprises him: why only two and a half times, why not three? With the current market situation, anything is possible:

- Dealers have taken advantage of the situation when there is a catastrophic shortage of cars, and began to load the existing cars with dealer options. They have the right to set such options, and their number is off the charts. Already now, the number of options in budget cars can reach five hundred thousand, and in premium cars - a million.

There are not enough cars, so for everything that used to be part of the normal equipment of a car, dealers now require additional payment. Carpets, mud flaps, engine protection - everything has become paid and has significantly increased in price. Cheat on expensive cars can be up to several million rubles. Suppose the price of the Land Cruiser is written on the price tag of 6.5-7.5 million rubles, but you can only buy it for 10-11 million.

- All over the world, dealers earn money from the after-sales service of the car - from regular maintenance. The marginality of the auto business itself is not that great, but MOT is really great. But now ours have opened a trick against the background of increased demand, and it is almost impossible to buy a car in the configuration stated in the advertisement. Get ready for the fact that it will cost you a quarter more expensive, - warns analyst of the financial group FINAM Alexey Korenev.

Now, when you come to the salon to buy a car, they will definitely tell you that there is just one, but it has already installed options for 300 , or even 500 thousand rubles.

“They don’t impose services on you, but offer a specific car, and if you don’t want, wait for the next one, but it will come in six months and it’s not known how much it will cost”, - says Igor Morzharetto.

Another source of income for dealers is the installation of these "special stages" at extortionate prices. Taking advantage of the fact that there are few cars, they charge 50 thousand for the installation of a crankcase protection, which costs 10 thousand rubles, or five times more. The client, of course, can refuse, but he will not receive the car.

Of course, inflation has not been canceled, and the deficit is putting pressure on the consumer. According to Igor Morzharetto, prices for new cars have increased by 13% over the past 10 months, and for used cars - by 20%.

Why are dealers so lucky and unlucky for all of us?

Affected by the deferred demand of 2020. Last year, people did not buy cars because they did not know what would happen next and how the government would be able to keep the situation. A year later, tired of the uncertainty, they returned to shopping.

Another factor that drives prices up is inflation, says Aleksey Korenev:

- The second factor that spurs on is the expectation of an increase in car prices and an increase in interest on car loans. People see that carrots have risen in price by five times, why not raise the price of a car? Increased demand begins, cars are really starting to rise in price, especially against the background of a shortage.

Indeed, the production of cars in the world is much smaller than before. The reason is that there are not enough microcircuits. There are conveyors on Mercedes, Volkswagen, all over America. The fact is that the lion's share of the chips is made in China. During the pandemic, the Chinese reduced their production, and then the struggle for the environment, reforms in the metallurgical industry began in the Celestial Empire ... In addition, the supply chains have lengthened dramatically. Alexey Korenev says:

- Many factors piled up at once - a pandemic, lengthening supply chains, recurring container collapses, problems with container shipments across the Russian-Chinese border. They are now allowing only 130 trucks to pass, they have introduced restrictions in connection with the customs reform. And 130 trucks a day is minuscule.

Even AvtoVAZ is experiencing a significant shortage of microchips. It is clear that the Grants and Vestas are not stuffed with electronics, like their distant relatives from, for example, Germany, but it is there too. And when it was necessary to choose what to produce - the more popular and cheaper Lada Granta or the more modern Vesta, they made a choice in favor of Vesta. Before the chip crisis, Grant was significantly ahead of Vesta, now their sales are equal, although the regions continue to ride Grant.

The shortage of new cars leads to the fact that consumers are more actively buying in the secondary market.

- There are indirect figures. The average age of the Russian car fleet has increased by almost a year during the pandemic. This suggests that people have begun to drive older cars longer and change them less often.

It is difficult to say how long the crisis will last, when automakers will establish normal production, and how much our car dealers will still enrich themselves. Experts believe that the market will not recover until next summer. But we have our own reasons in our country. On Friday, the Central Bank will raise its key rate. This will lead to an inevitable increase in the car loan rate.

In Moscow, the number of cars is steadily decreasing, and owning an "iron horse", as in Soviet times, is becoming a luxury. There is no reason to believe that cars will get cheaper. The cheating of options may stop if dealers see that they are unable to sell a car with "dopas". But when this will happen, it is impossible to say. Therefore, car dealers will continue to report income growth in the next half of the year, and cars on Russian roads will be getting older. To each his own.