There are more electric cars than those with only a petrol or diesel engine
The 25th Sofia Motor Show has opened its doors, but unlike other years, thousands of fans in front of the stands at the Inter Expo Center mostly ask the question: “When will my new car arrive if I sign a contract now?”. Only then comes the price of a model, engine and extras. The favorite topic of car fans for promotions and discounts until two years ago (due to the coronavirus pandemic, there has been no exhibition in Bulgaria since then) does not need to be started now, because there are almost none.
The absurd situation of waiting for months for a new car was reached due to the crisis with the production of semiconductors and the ensuing war in Ukraine, which further aggravated the situation with the supply of parts and components from subcontractors for modern vehicles.
New car dealers are trying to attract and retain customers of a brand with promises of cars with
richer equipment at more affordable prices
In this way, they actually provide some of the extras for free, and do not risk further delays in ordered and capped cars, because car manufacturers mass-produce models with the highest levels of equipment, which are significantly more expensive. This compensates for possible losses from lower production and low turnover.
In any case, you should be extremely lucky or be satisfied with a car that is currently in Bulgaria, or loaded on a truck on the way home, if you become a proud owner of a new car in the days around the show, which will continue until the end of next week.
Most importers promise that if you sign a contract now, you will
get the new car as a Christmas present,
but others are not so optimistic.
The organizers expect a record number of people in the halls of the Exhibition Center on Tsarigradsko Shosse due to the huge number of modern exhibits and the opportunity for everyone to test over 100 models during the salon.
32 car brands were presented at the exhibition. There are 189 exhibits in the halls.
There is no stand without an electrified model
Purely electric are 33, hybrid – 70, and together they exceed the number of conventional models with internal combustion engines, which is 86. So far, cars with alternative propulsion have never outnumbered cars with standard engines.
And one more thing that is happening for the first time in the quarter-century history of the Sofia Motor Show – there are at least 14 premieres. This means that for the first time in Sofia, brand new models are on display to the general public, which so far have been shown only to a very limited number of people and possibly at online events.
These are the cars that will make their first presentation to car fans in Sofia: Citroen C5 X, DS 9, KIA Niro, Mazda CX-60, Mercedes SL, Mercedes EQE, Opel Astra, Renault Megane E-TECH, Renault Austral, SsangYong Korando e-Motion, Skoda Enyaq Coupe RS iV, Subaru Solterra, Toyota bZ4X, Volkswagen ID.5 GTX, Volvo C40 Electric.
In addition to those cars that will parade in front of the public for the first time, there are a huge number of new modifications, facelift refreshments and technological innovations.
Again, there is a questionnaire with prizes. In addition to the pleasure of seeing, testing and buying some of the latest models, one of the visitors to the exhibition will have a chance to leave with a new car. The choice is between 4 cars with prices from 36,360 to 46,690 levs. Visitors will choose from Ford Puma, KIA Stonic, Skoda Fabia and Peugeot 208.
There will be other prizes,
as a voucher for fuel worth BGN 200, 2 one-month prepaid fitness cards. Two people who visited the exhibition will receive a free driving course, and will have the right to choose which category to study.
“This year’s 25th anniversary edition is not just an exhibition of regional significance from the OICA calendar. This year, only seven major car shows have been organized in the world and only two of them will be in Europe – ours in June and in Paris in the fall. This turns the Sofia exhibition into a European event, why not a global one. Our industry has already gone deep into the biggest transformation since. That is why the focus of the exhibition is the ecological cars with alternative drives – purely electric or with different types of hybrid systems. With each passing day they are more and more among us “, said the chairman of the car importers in our country Hrabrin Ivanchev.
During the opening, MEP Petar Vitanov called for lower taxes on electric cars.
1/2 million is the most expensive exhibit at the exhibition
Vrabus D40 Widestar is the most expensive car at the showroom in Sofia, which opened yesterday. It costs BGN 500,000 without VAT. This is a unique factory tuning version of Mercedes’ legendary G-Class. The redesigned “cube” is powered by a powerful diesel engine with a maximum power of 400 hp. and 750 Nm of torque, making it one of the most powerful and fastest diesel off-roaders in the world. Top speed is electronically limited to 240 km / h.
Another representative of the German premium manufacturer – Mercedes AMG SL 63, is sold in “Inter Expo Center” for BGN 416 thousand with VAT. In the top 3 in terms of prices is the new generation Range Rover, which in its state-of-the-art equipment reaches the amount of BGN 324,464.
The most expensive electric car in the showroom is a thousand levs cheaper than the range rover. This is a Mercedes EQS, which is displayed with a sign that says BGN 323,500.
The electric S-Class debuted in two specifications – EQS 450+ with one electric motor on the rear axle, 333 hp, 568 Nm, acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 6.2 seconds and is EQS 580 4MATIC with two motors, 523 hp, 855 Nm, acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.3 seconds. The mileage of the electric limousine varies from 580 to 730 km on a single battery charge.
The cheapest exhibit at the exhibition, which can be ordered and bought now, exceeds 30 vouchers and is Dacia Sandero Stepway, whose price is BGN 32,160. Otherwise, the cheapest vehicle in the showroom is the electric two-seater Citroen Ami, which costs BGN 18,000, but still cannot be ordered in Bulgaria. The minicar, which in some European countries can be driven by 14-year-olds, has an output of 8 hp. maximum power, 45 km / h top speed and 70 km mileage on a single charge.
Hrabrin Ivanchev, chairman
of the Automobile Association
manufacturers and their authorized
Representatives in Bulgaria: I expect normal
market by the end of the year
– Mr. Ivanchev, what do you expect from the 25th edition of the showroom?
– The main focus for the 25th International Motor Show in Sofia are the new technologies for electrification of cars, thus taking the exhibition to a new level. The technologies of the future can be seen live. We have never presented so many electric cars with the ability to test drive. There will be no stand in the hall without an electrified car, and the exhibits will be a total of 189 of 32 car brands. The purely electric ones will be 33, and the hybrid ones – 70 – including various variations of the technology – plug-in models, soft hybrids, as well as variants in which the petrol engine works only to charge the battery and the car moves practically like electric.
– How will the current car show be different from the others?
– The main thing is that there are a huge number of electric and electrified models. We are witnessing a real transformation of the automotive industry. Cars are becoming safer, greener and more connected. The car of the future must be safe and not pollute the environment.
– In the past, during exhibitions, retailers attracted Bulgarian customers mostly through discounts. Now how do you get them to buy a new car?
– In the previous salons the discounts were leading, now it is the technology. The Bulgarian car fan is extremely educated. We, as representatives of car manufacturers, strive to respond most adequately to the needs of customers who will want electric cars with sufficient mileage in the future. All models of the exhibition will offer a mileage of 350-450 km, which is enough to cover the road to the sea.
– What is the situation on the market of new cars in our country, how are the sales and what is the ratio of used cars?
– The situation is the same as in recent years. Despite some growth, the level of new cars in the car market remains low. The ratio is 1:10 in favor of used cars. We hope that over time and the need to modernize the park, this ratio will change.
– Doesn’t waiting for months for the delivery of most new car models kill the business and when do you think this crisis will end?
“It doesn’t kill business.” Normalization is visible on the horizon. I expect this to happen by the end of the year. In a few months we will enter with specific commitments. There will be predictability in deliveries. Such a crisis is not disastrous. It is only a matter of time before things return to normal and production with other suppliers is ensured. From 2025, the Euro 7 standard will enter into force in the EU and cars will become more environmentally friendly and safe, which is a challenge for manufacturers, and preparations are underway to move to this standard.
– What should be done in the end to renew the fleet in Bulgaria?
– A lot of things. Our association has been proposing for a long time a package of measures that the state must take in order to replace old cars with electric or electrified ones. We have offered a number of scraping programs and a bonus scheme.
– What should be the incentives when buying electric cars and hybrids, respectively (with internal combustion engine and electric motor)? Weren’t we fatally late for European countries?
– BGN 10,000 bonus for the purchase of purely electric cars and BGN 7,500 for hybrids is one of our offers. Not only private fleets, but also company ones need to be renovated. The Bulgarian car fleet with the oldest in Europe with over 20 years of cars. They drive mostly diesel, with the high price of fuel and maintenance hitting the pocket of the Bulgarian driver. If there is a bonus scheme, we will not only remove polluting cars from use, but we will also enable more environmentally friendly transport with electric cars. We are terribly late. In neighboring Romania, this has been done for 15 years. Even in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they pay 5,000 euros each to replace a used car with an internal combustion engine.
BMW’s first all-electric SUV, the iX.
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