After the start of the war and the sanctions introduced, Russian citizens tried to buy “premium” class cars in Latvia. It didn’t work for them, but Ukrainian dealers exported thousands of used cars from the Baltic states. The local market is preparing for a harsh winter, when the scarcity of new and used cars will be joined by a decline in the purchasing power of the population.
asked the “Delphi” portal. Automobile associations President Andri Kulberga to comment on what happened in the car sales sector in the summer and autumn of 2022.
Editor’s Note: Andris Kulberg was elected to the 14th Saeima. He has not yet assumed the duties of a deputy.
The producers are gone, the prices are skyrocketing. The first announcements from global carmakers to leave the Russian market appeared in April. At the end of June, most of the representative offices were closed. Warehouses were quickly emptying and there was a significant increase in prices. If in Latvia car prices increased by 10-20 percent, in Russia they were 100-200 percent. In July and August, car showrooms and car dealerships in Latvia experienced a significant flow of phone calls. They called not only from Russia, but also from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. Local agents were also interested in buying a car for the Russian market. The same thing happened in Lithuania and Estonia.
Russian citizens tried to buy the “premium” class.. Buyers from Russia were mainly interested in “premium” class cars – “Porche”, “Mercedes-Benz“,”Audi“.
