What is the reason?

The COVID-19 epidemic, which has raged for the second year in a row, has turned the usual areas of our lives upside down, doing the previously unthinkable possible. It turned out that cars produced in the Russian Federation are cheaper in Belarus than in Russia.

This year, a new direction of tourism is being mastered en masse: Russians liked the cars, which turned out to be much cheaper than similar ones in Russian salons. Fortunately, the single economic space of the “union state” allows importing cars from Belarus to the Russian Federation and vice versa without duties.

At the beginning of 2021, absolutely all car brands present on the Russian market increased by at least 15-20%. The question of what triggered such a jump in prices is debatable. According to the generally accepted version, the coronavirus pandemic allegedly collapsed the production of semiconductors used in the assembly of cars, which led to a shortage of components and a drop in car production. However, the economic slowdown could not but affect the demand, the level of income of the population was bound to happen.

Despite the obvious artificiality of the excitement around the car market, heavenly times have come for car dealers. Buyers of new cars are hysterical trying to pick up any car that suits them, and sellers can dictate prices on their own.

In such conditions, Russian car dealers completely untied their hands and engaged in unlimited extortion. From the official side, you can’t find fault with the dealer’s pricing policy: the net price of a car sold in the Russian Federation without additional options has not changed much. The cost of the options themselves reaches cosmic proportions, ranging from 200 thousand to 1 million Russian rubles (from 7 thousand to 34 thousand Belarusian rubles) for a middle-class sedan. At the same time, it is impossible to buy a car without additional options in the salon. Vendors offering optional extras operating services may have access to other vehicles that can be delivered to the showroom.

Belarusian oasis

In such conditions, the Belarusian car market, accessible to Russians, has become an oasis of low prices. The explanation for this phenomenon is not only in the total control of the state over the private sector, but also in the banal world of demand. The summer rise in the price of cars with inflation and a shrinking economy led to a fall in Belarusians for new cars, which are now gathering dust in overstocked warehouses.

If we compare the prices of Belarusian and Russian car dealerships, then our average price is much lower.

For example, Lada Vesta in the SW Cross configuration costs 1 million 550 thousand rubles in the Russian Federation. Russian rubles, a similar car in Belarus will cost a Russian 1 million 280 thousand rubles. Russian rubles.

The new Mitsubishi Outlander from an official dealer in Moscow in the Ultimate package of 2.36 liters will cost 3 million 208 thousand rubles. Russian rubles, and in Belarus – 2 million 996 thousand rubles. rubles.

Toyota Camry of Russian assembly with a volume of 2.5 liters of Elegance configuration in Belarus costs 2 million 650 thousand rubles. Russian rubles, and from Russian officials it will cost 2 million 850 thousand rubles together with special stages. rubles.

Finally, Renault Kaptur in the maximum configuration in Belarus will cost 2 million 20 thousand rubles. Russian rubles, and in the Russian Federation – 2 million 200 thousand rubles.

Brotherly dealers

The order of prices pushed Russians to buy cars in Belarus until our dealers introduced an artificial restriction, establishing a ban on Russians buying cars on the territory of the Union State. This limitation is associated with an unspoken agreement between Belarusian and Russian dealers. At least, there is no possibility to establish a ban on the sale of citizens of another state in the Belarusian legislation.

The absurdity of the situation has reached the point that even the official dealers of Lada in Belarus refuse to issue a car for a Russian passport.

Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to bypass such a restriction: it is enough to register the car as a citizen of Belarus, and after registering the car, re-register it as a citizen of the Russian Federation.

It turned out that even in the case of using the “gasket”, the purchase of a car in Belarus is still more profitable than in the Russian Federation. The Russian-assembled vehicles sold in Belarus already have the Glonas module installed and they have an EPTS – an electronic passport for vehicles. The maximum thing to pay is the recycling fee, which does not exceed 4500 rubles.

40 thousand Russian rubles, for example, for cars of the brands Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, which are sold in Belarus without EPTS.

If the “Glonas” module is not installed on a car made in Belarus, for example Geely, Zotye, Peugeot, Citroen, Cadillac and Chevrolet, its connection in the Russian Federation will cost about 80 thousand rubles. Russian rubles. The Russians do not have to pay the customs duty for such a car, and the utilization fee will be 4500 rubles, again Russian.

Preferential risk

There is another loophole in the Belarusian car market that allows Russians to buy cheap and high-quality cars from Europe.

Lukashenko’s decree “On the return of customs duties and taxes” has been in effect in Belarus since April 2020. The document grants the right to large families and disabled people to receive a 50% discount for customs clearance of used foreign cars. The list of categories of Belarusians up to a 50% benefit was expanded this year: now parents with disabilities 18 years old, as well as families who have issued adoption, guardianship or guardianship over children with disabilities, can take advantage of the discount.

The decree grants the right to import into Belarus no more than one car per person or family per year.

Until recently, the market for discounted cars has flourished. Auto.ru was packed with advertisements for the sale of cars from Belarus at very attractive prices. But this year the scheme has taken on a criminal connotation. The government and the customs office have thoroughly dealt with the “privileged recipients”. After all, not every disabled person can afford to buy a Lexus for $ 40 thousand. Such interference turned into confiscation of cars and criminal cases both in relation to the dealers and in relation to the beneficiaries themselves. Therefore, purchasing cars on a preferential basis is very dangerous.

The use in the Russian Federation of cars registered by Russians in the EAEU, including in Belarus, was not found. If Belarusians can ride around the Russian Federation, then the Russians who have registered the cars of Belarus are given 10 days from the date of arrival in the Russian Federation to register the car with the State Traffic Inspectorate. The exception applies to citizens of the Russian Federation who have a residence permit in Belarus.

For violation, a fine of up to 800 rubles is threatened, in case of a repeated violation, 5 thousand rubles will be paid. The driver can also be deprived of his license for a period of 1 to 3 months.

So, whatever one may say, Belarusian car dealerships have become a good alternative for Russians to the Russian soap bubble of auto sales. Strict control by law enforcement agencies does not allow car dealerships to disagree in prices for additional options, but one should not forget about the natural laws of the market either. Prices for Belarusian cars may also rise as the stock depletes.

Alexey Kuznetsov, bolkunets.org