For the first time in a year and a half, the Russian car market began to show signs of recovery. At the end of April, sales of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles increased by 20% compared to last year.

program helped stop the steady deterioration in sales The state car recycling . In addition, deferred demand, which had been accumulating for months, also played a positive role.

Despite the fact that since the beginning of the year, car sales in Russia have decreased by 13% (data from the Association of European Businesses), experts predict that the car market will grow by 10-15% by the end of the year. This is quite likely: the Russian government is thinking about extending the state program for recycling used cars.

As expected, the largest sales are shown by cars that fell under the recycling program. Among the top ten models among the best-selling passenger car brands since the beginning of the year, nine are produced in Russia, AEB notes.

Lada cars remain the sales leaders, increasing sales in April by 54% - to 52.45 thousand cars.

Growth was also shown by UAZ cars - by 47% (up to 3.85 thousand units), GAZ - by 22% (up to 6.02 thousand units). These car factories, in addition to the recycling program, were helped by the support of local authorities. Thus, UAZ and the government of the Ulyanovsk region provide residents of Ulyanovsk and the region with an additional discount of 70 thousand rubles.

The Nizhny Novgorod GAZ dealer, TCK GAZ ATO, reports an increase in sales at its showroom in April by 50-60% compared to February 2010. As the dealer's representative explains, the car dealership could sell more cars, but there are not enough of them.

There has also been an increase in sales of foreign cars assembled in Russia. Thus, sales of Chevrolet in April increased by 30%, KIA - by 46%, Renault - by 34%, and Hyundai - by 8%. These automakers are also participating in the scrappage program.

However, growth is observed not only among those brands that are included in the program, says David Thomas, Chairman of the AEB Automobile Manufacturers Committee. For example, sales of Suzuki cars increased in April by 67%, Audi - by 47%, Mersedes-Benz - by 50%, Subaru - by 31%, Honda - by 17%. Leading expert of Finam Management Management Company Dmitry Baranov explains this fact by the fact that the premium car segment is less susceptible to the crisis. Buyers of such cars, as a rule, have free funds to purchase such cars; they do not need to take out a loan, the expert explains.

Expert of the assessment department "2K Audit - Business Consulting" Petr Klyuev adds that pent-up demand is now being realized, which allows the market to grow at such a pace.

P. Klyuev believes that by the end of the year, the Russian car market will apparently grow compared to 2009, but the growth is unlikely to be significant, most likely about 10%.

It is possible that the program for recycling auto junk and subsidizing the purchase of new ones may be extended until 2013, as a source in the Russian government previously reported. In the first 10 days of May, about 18 thousand certificates for car recycling were issued, in two months of the program - already 118 thousand out of the planned 200 thousand certificates. At the current pace, the remaining 82 thousand certificates can be issued in 20 days.

The junk car recycling program has “reanimated” the car market