Perhaps it will seem a miracle to some, but the car market of Ukraine shows signs of recovery and even sales growth. Interesting trends related to electric cars and the distribution of the market by sales regions have appeared, some automobile novelties have already been presented, and we expect the next ones. In detail – in this analytical material.
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Results of car sales for the first three months of 2023
The first quarter of 2023 is symbolic in that it has a comparative basis with the same period (months) of the previous year 2022. Therefore, the results of January 2023, when about 3.5 thousand cars were sold, are significantly inferior to the results of the still peaceful January 2022 – the drop in sales reaches -40%!
February 2023 showed sales at the level of 3.8 thousand cars: not too significant, but still an increase compared to January. But March has already given some optimism: 5,100 cars were sold – an increase of +35% until February 2023.
This is how the car market of Ukraine felt in the first quarter: the beginning of the year with an indicator of 3-3.5 thousand cars per month, but March shows growth and allows you to cross the mark of five thousand! These are only passenger cars, and commercial vehicles should also be added: for example, about 500 commercial vehicles were sold in March. After a lull, this segment is also gradually rising, which is an indicator of business recovery. Together for 1 sq. In 2023, about 14,000 new cars and commercial vehicles were sold in Ukraine. (data AUTO–Consulting)
The undisputed market leader is Toyota. The well-known bestsellers (RAV4, Camry, Prado) “work” here, and new models can also be added – for example, the Toyota Corolla Cross. And the popularity of Toyota is due to well-established logistics: there are planned deliveries of cars – accordingly, there is something to sell.
The recovery of car supplies was one of the biggest challenges for market operators in late 2022 and early 2023. Accordingly, whoever has adjusted the supply of cars, he has received good figures now and has a chance of increasing sales in the future. And this will contribute to the rise of the market in general.
The first quarter showed an increase in sales of Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, and Volkswagen. True, for some this sale is episodic (only in certain months), and for someone it is permanent – recorded for the entire quarter. And that’s why…
General trends of the automobile market of Ukraine
So, the first trend of the car market of Ukraine for the three months of 2023: there is potential for market growth – you need to have cars for sale. But what kind of cars? For example, the growth of Volkswagen is caused not only by the launch of the updated Volkswagen T-Roc model, but also by active sales of the Volkswagen ID.4 electric car in versions intended for the Chinese market.
The Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover turned out to be so popular that at the beginning of 2023 it even led the overall sale of all cars on the Ukrainian market. Of course, this had a positive effect on the statistics of the popularity of electric cars: as of April 1, 2023, there are already more than 50,000 electric cars in Ukraine.
Honda’s current sales growth is due to the return of the CR-V model with a 2.4L engine and a more attractive price, as well as electric vehicles (again from the Chinese market). But at the same time, Honda has good chances for future success – the new HR-V crossover and the launch of several new products in Ukraine by the end of 2023.
At the same time, the constant increase in sales of Mazda, Peugeot, Citroen, Nissan was due to the launch of new models and adjustment of deliveries. Suzuki is also on the verge of joining this group thanks to the resumption of Vitara deliveries and the debut of the new S-Cross model. The situation is similar with Opel cars: the resumption of supplies and the launch of new products should lead to a significant increase in sales.
Some of the presented cars have already appeared here in reviews, some photos are like a “hint of the future”: I will tell you soon. Consequently, sales of well-known models resume, new cars debut. We can say that in the average price range ($20-50 thousand) life is raging! But not everything is as good as it seems at first glance.
“Premium” market and sales by regions of the country
Here are some more market trends. For example, the distribution of sales by regions of Ukraine: yes, Kyiv region accounts for 40-45% of total car sales, at peak times this indicator even reached half of sales. By the way, among the favorites of Kyiv residents is Toyota with the popular models RAV4 and Land Cruiser Prado.
But the latter clearly cannot be said to be an “available model”. Truth? And here we see the most impressive trend: in the first two months of 2023, “premium” cars completely recovered sales and even showed +0.1% compared to the same pre-war period in 2022. And March also added…
In the “premium” segment, crossovers and SUVs from BMW, Merc show the best sales growthedes-Benz, Range Rover. Lexus is doing well, while having another “trump card” in store in the form of the launch of the new generation Lexus RX – surely this car will strengthen the position of Lexus already in the coming months. In general, the premium is only 21% in terms of sales volume, but 40% in terms of money spent.
The automotive market of Ukraine is trying to grow and develop. But the strict segmentation by sales territory and division between mass/premium brands is surprising. An indicator that the market has recovered will be the proportional distribution of car sales by cities/regions and the stable growth of mass “popular” brands, not only expensive cars. Will it happen? We will see after the results of the second quarter of 2023.
