Automakers are optimistic about 2023 and forecast growth

Automakers believe that the market in the second half of 2022 was able to "bounce off the bottom" and are optimistic about 2023. They talked about it during a round table at the auto business forum "ForAuto - 2023. Results and forecasts of the car market", organized by agency "AUTOSTAT". We are also optimistic about the availability of state support programs, the open opportunities for parallel imports, and the fact that more than 3,000 dealer centers in Russia have survived and continue to operate. It is obvious to everyone that the car market is now being rebooted. Probably, it will be formed in a new way - taking into account new players and new goals.

Automakers also spoke about their plans and forecasts. “Today, market share is not the most important thing for us, it is more important to focus on the economy of the enterprise,” said Vitaly Osipov, Sales Director of JSC AVTOVAZ. He said that it is planned to produce about 400 thousand cars at the Togliatti site of AVTOVAZ this year, and some more will be assembled at the plant in St. Petersburg. It is important that in the second half of 2022 LADA managed to restore quickly sales and even with three models was able to increase volumes and keep its dealer network of over 300 official car dealerships (while there are plans to expand it in 2023).

Natalya Pletnikova, Head of Sales Development Department at Modern Transport Technologies Group of Companies, also reminded that, according to the latest data, the consumer confidence index in Russia has finally managed to go positive. Therefore, now it is important to offer customers what they are waiting for, increasing the possibilities of online services (offering new ones) and expanding the lineup (going into new segments). For example, GAZ Group, which was engaged in the model range expanding (Sobol NN, Citymax 9, Valdai NEXT 8 appeared) and reached a deeper level of penetration of Internet services, in 2022 managed to increase its share in several segments at once.

Operation director of Geely Motors Russia Valery Tarakanov predicted that the Russian market in the coming year could grow by 25% and possibly even more. As for Geely, the enterprise in Belarus has not reached yet its planned capacity, but it is working on it - not all problems with logistics have been resolved yet. “We are not interested in an emergency attack on the market, but we will try to grow,” he said. Another Chinese manufacturer, Changan, also has its own plans for Russia.

“We are ready to bring a large volume of our cars, while we are talking about 12 models in different segments, including LCV,” said Alexander Kulagin, Sales and Development Director at Changan Motors Rus. “We are also looking at the segment of electric cars…” Skywell Marketing Director Olga Udaltsova recalled that 3,000 new electric cars were bought in Russia last year (an increase of 33% by 2021) and now is a good time to increase customer interest in electric cars.