New Car Market Steadily Growing

The FINANCIAL — The export of both new and used vehicles significantly increased in 2012.

The FINANCIAL — The export of both new and used vehicles significantly increased in 2012. Statistics show that used cars still occupy the largest share of the auto market in the region. Azerbaijan is the main trade partner in terms of car import from Georgia. Sales statistics shows that Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Toyota are the top-selling cars in Georgia.

In 2012 9,857 new and 48,342 used cars were imported in Georgia. In 2011 the numbers were 5,941 and 42,543 respectively.

Mercedes-Benz became the top imported vehicle in Georgia with 14,462 units. Another German auto brand – Opel, remains the second most popular brand among Georgian car owners. Japanese Toyota amounted to 8,194 units and took third place.

“We sold 42 units, which is 45% more than we had in the previous year,” Lasha Lomidze, Sales Manager at AKA Mercedes-Benz Georgia, told The FINANCIAL.

Mercedes-Benz ML was the bestselling model in 2012. The price of this vehicle is EUR 50,000. “We plan to import 75 units in 2013,” said Lomidze.

Mercedes-Benz Georgia will offer brand new models in 2013: the GL – worth EUR 75,000; S-class and CLA – worth EUR 27,800.

Other popular auto brands with sales of more than a thousand in 2012 include: BMW – with sales of 4,842; Volkswagen – 4,082; Mitsubishi – 2,879; Honda – 2,163; Nissan – 1,231; Lexus – 1,068.

Daewoo with sales of 14 units, Rover with 37 units and Citroen – 58, were the less popular auto brands in Georgia in 2012.

The number of re-exported vehicles in 2012 was 56,330, 18,220 units more than in the previous year. Azerbaijan and Armenia remain the top countries importing vehicles from Georgia. Belgium and Russia have shown significant increases of re-exported cars from Georgia. Both countries had 3.7 times increased imports. Russia imported just 41 units in 2010, in 2011 the number amounted to 248 and in 2012 it was all of 936. Belgium imported 398 vehicles in 2010, the following year the number dropped to 270 and in 2012 beat the record of 2010 with 1,017 units re-exported to this Western European country.

Kazakhstan is the only country that reduced the import of vehicles from Georgia last year. Only 93 units were re-exported to Kazakhstan in 2012 while in 2011 their number totalled 5,732.

Madlena Berishvili, Director at Rustavi Terminal Plus, said that in 2013 Azerbaijan will presumably remain the leading re-exporter of cars from Georgia. “We expect to have 2.5% increase of sales this year,” Berishvili told The FINANCIAL.

There are three large auto markets now operating in Georgia. All of them are located in Rustavi. The largest one is a joint Ukrainian Georgian business. With modern auto markets and simplified registration procedures Georgia manages to maintain its status of main auto trader country in the Caucasus.