Carvago: Used imports fell by four percent at the turn of the year
Updates: 16.01.2022 09:50
Released: 16.01.2022, 09:50
Prague – Used cars imported from abroad have fallen by about four percent in the last month. The reason is the strengthening of the koruna, which is the strongest against the euro in the most 14 years, as well as New Year’s discounts on traders. At the same time, second-hand prices on the domestic market rose by about 15 percent during the year. This is according to data from the European online marketplace Carvago.
However, according to Carvag CEO Jakub Šulta, the reduction in the prices of these cars will be temporary, because the factors that pushed prices up last year have not disappeared. According to him, the main ones include the lack of used cars due to the need and the lack of new cars due to the failure of chip supplies.
“The combination of a favorable exchange rate and discounts now provides a chance to buy a used car from abroad under conditions that will be unattainable later in 2022,” said Šulta. According to him, especially used second-hand goods are rapidly disappearing from the market.
For example, the Škoda Octavia at the price of half a million crowns can now be purchased 20,000 crowns cheaper. Škoda Kodiaq, with its first registration in 2018, a 4×4 drive, a 2.0 TDI 140 kW engine with an automatic transmission and a range of around 75,000 km, sold an average of 842,000 crowns on the German market in December last year, with the customer now buying almost 34 crowns. . cheaper only thanks to the strengthening crown.
Despite rising prices, 185,663 used cars were imported to the Czech Republic last year, which was the most in the last 13 years. However, according to AAA Auto director Karolína General Topolová, the strengthening crowns will support the import of low-quality older used cars. “It would be good to stand here before the influx of these cars becomes unmanageable. At a time when we should rather go the way of more environmentally friendly and technologically and safely advanced vehicles, such a development is absolutely undesirable,” she told ČTK.
The Czech currency strengthened against the euro to CZK 24.30 this week, while in December the euro was about a koruna more expensive.