The new commercial vehicle market (including trucks) in Ukraine grew by almost 22% in January-May 2018, to 5,132 units, the Ukrautoprom association has reported. In May alone, the market rose by 12% year-over-year, to 1,072 units. Renault vehicles’ share of the market was one fifth (219 vehicles, which was 295 more than in May 2017).
Volkswagen was second in May with 101 vehicles sold (74% up), and Fiat was third with 100 vehicles sold (4% up).
Belarusian MAZ vehicles were fourth (98, 63% up). Ford saw a 64% rise in sales with 97 vehicles sold.
MAN, Scania, Mercedes-Benz, Russia’s GAZ and Peugeot were in the top ten vehicles sold on the Ukrainian market.
AUTO-Consulting Group said that the truck market in May almost returned to the figures of 2009 with 462 vehicles sold.
The most popular truck was MAZ (100 vehicles).
MAN was second with 16% of the market and Scania was third with 14%.
Among leaders are Ford Trucks (11%) and Volvo (6%).
Ukrainians do not see obvious leaders among candidates for the post of Ukraine’s president, and the rating of major politicians is rather low, according to a nationwide poll conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in May 2018. According to the results of the survey that were made public at a press conference in Kyiv, Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko (13.3%) has greatest support among the respondents who plan to take part in the elections, while the level of her support differs little depending on the regions. Civil Position Party leader Anatoliy Hrytsenko (9.4% of respondents) is in second place, enjoying the highest rating in the western and central regions of the country. A co-chairman of the Opposition Bloc faction, Yuriy Boiko (8.4%), is in third place, and he is mostly supported in the eastern, southern regions and Donbas.
The rating of incumbent head of state Petro Poroshenko is somewhat higher in the west of the country and lower in the east and stands at 7.6%. Some 7.4% of respondents would vote for Radical Party leader Oleh Liashko. His positions, according to the survey, are somewhat stronger in the central and southern regions of Ukraine.
According to the survey, the majority of Ukrainian citizens (68%) plan to take part in presidential elections, while 17% definitely do not want to do it, and the rest were undecided.
The survey was conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation together with the sociological service of the Razumkov Center from May 19 to May 25, 2018 in all regions of Ukraine, except for Crimea and occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A total of 2,019 respondents aged over 18 years were interviewed. The poll’s margin of error does not exceed 2.3%.
General Electric Transportation with 10% participation of Kriukov Car Building Works (KCBW) at the end of 2018 will start delivering 30 TE33A locomotives of Evolution series to Ukrzaliznytsia in line with the earlier approved program of localization of locomotive production in Ukraine, acting Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Yevhen Kravtsov wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday. “Ukrzaliznytsia jointly with GE Transportation gives green light to the program of localization of locomotive production in Ukraine. Personally for me this is a large victory and the landmark for Ukrainian railways and the entire sector. Localization at the initial stages was the key principal moment during the negotiations with GE. I can say that neither in India nor in Kazakhstan the similar contract does not envisages the localization from the first sample. First TE33A locomotives of the Evolution series will be made with participation of KCBW,” he said.
Kravtsov said that for the first locomotives the Ukrainian contract provides for 10% of localization. Later the locomotives will be consisted of at least 40% of Ukrainian spare parts.
“Now General Electric is selecting the production facilities among Ukrainian enterprises. We also plan to create a center for servicing and modernizing the operating locomotive fleet,” Kravtsov wrote.
He said that a batch of locomotives, which General Electric will deliver in cooperation with KCBW is the largest one during Ukraine’s independence. “The final stage of locomotive production for Ukrzaliznytsia has started in Pennsylvania. At the end of 2018 we would receive first diesel locomotives adapted to our climate, environment-friendly, effective in servicing, comfortable and safe for locomotive crews,” Kravtsov said.
