What cars are preferred in Kyrgyzstan?
A recent study conducted in the USA with financial support from Microsoft showed that three out of consumers want to have contactless communication in their cars, know real-time traffic conditions, and receive route recommendations. The study also revealed that while in the car, approximately 85% of mobile phone owners use their devices, and 50% of PDA owners refer to their electronic assistants and other additional options. The presence of automatic electronic features that create a comfortable driving experience for car owners is one of the main factors when purchasing a vehicle.
The Automotive Manufacturers Committee of the AEB provided statistical data for 2014-2015 on car sales in the Russian Federation. According to their data, a total of 2.5 million new cars and 6 million used cars were sold in Russia. The top three best-selling brands were KIA, Renault, and Hyundai. Among used cars, the domestic manufacturer Lada rounded out the top three. The Hyundai Solaris became a sales hit in Moscow in 2015. The Hyundai Solaris is also particularly popular in Minsk due to its excellent technical characteristics, comfort, high-quality and user-friendly electronic control system, and of course, its price.
According to the same AEB data, the following cars made it into the TOP-10 in Europe: Volkswagen Golf and Polo, Renault Clio, Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa, Skoda Octavia, Nissan Qashqai, Peugeot 208, Audi A3.
In Kyrgyzstan, despite the low per capita income level, car owners prioritize comfort and prestige. Constantly growing traffic jams and a crowded car market do not align with the perception of "the people's poverty." Almost every family in Kyrgyzstan owns a car.
According to the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, the turnover of wholesale and retail trade, as well as the repair of cars and motorcycles, amounted to 359,801.5 million soms from January 2014 to November 2015, while the average salary in the Republic is 12,285 soms.
At the end of 2014, there was a sharp increase in prices for imported cars and heightened demand. The frenzy was caused by Kyrgyzstan's accession to the Customs Union, where an increase in customs tariffs was anticipated. In reality, the market situation turned in the opposite direction. Demand for imported cars sharply declined as the local population had already made purchases earlier, exporting to Kazakhstan became unprofitable due to the imposed moratorium and high rates, and it became unreasonable to drive cars to Russia due to the lack of a significant difference in currency exchange rates. As a result, car prices significantly decreased over the past six months.
This market halt allowed citizens with savings in US dollars to acquire premium class cars or SUVs at the price of economy options.
According to automotive websites in the "kg" zone, the most popular and desired cars are SUVs such as the Toyota Land Cruiser, Lexus, or Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen. If such models were previously very rare among the population and cost more than apartments, now any self-respecting businessman or official must have such a car in their garage.
Vladislav Bocharov, a representative of a car dealership, stated: "Our car enthusiasts have excellent taste, and the number of business-class cars on the roads is evidence of that."
In second place are cars from the German automotive industry following the ban on the import of right-hand drive cars from Japan.
