The market of new commercial vehicles in Ukraine (including heavy) in January-October 2018 increased by 13% compared to the same period in 2017, to 10,500 units, the Ukrautoprom association has reported. Thus, according to the results of 10 months, the market slightly slowed down the growth rates (in January-June, in particular, it was 24%). In October, the registration of these vehicles showed an increase both compared with the same month in 2017 (by 10%) and compared with September of the current year (by 13.1%), to 1,105 units. In September 2018, there was a drop respectively by 0.5% compared with September 2017 and by 12.5% compared with August 2018, to 977 units.
The greatest demand in the October market was still on Renault vehicles, which were registered 9% more than in October 2017 (163 vehicles).
Fiat ranked second with 121 registrations, a 7% increase from last year’s October figure, while Citroen closed the top three with a more than threefold increase, to 103 units.
Mercedes-Benz with a 40% increase and registration of 91 vehicles was in the fourth position, and Volkswagen was fifth, which increased sales by 56%, to 75 units.
The Belarusian MAZ came next with the registration of 73 vehicles and an increase of more than 43% compared with October last year.
Ukrainian brands ZAZ and KrAZ were respectively the 14th and 17th of the October rating with registration of 21 vehicles (against 12 in October last year) and 17 vehicles (against 35).
Discussions are currently underway with the leadership of the Renault Group on the possibility of placing the production of this group’s cars in Ukraine, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said. “I met with the managers of a leading automaker, French company Renault, and now we are discussing the possibilities of placing the production of Renault cars in Ukraine,” Groysman wrote on his Facebook page. He noted that this would create additional jobs and expand the country’s export capabilities. The head of government expressed confidence that Ukraine could become a regional hub of automotive production. “We already have excellent examples of the work of enterprises producing both knots and parts and finished products for the Ukrainian and European markets,” Groysman said.
According to the website of the Ukrainian government, the meeting was attended by Senior Vice President, Chairman of the Renault Group for the Eurasian region Nicolas Maure, who also serves as President and CEO of PJSC AvtoVAZ (Russia), and Executive Vice-President for Sales and Marketing at PJSC AvtoVAZ Jan Ptacek, who headed Renault Ukraine until 2014.
The Renault Group has been making cars since 1898. Today it is an international multi-brand group, selling close to 3.5 million vehicles in 127 countries in 2016, with 36 manufacturing sites, 12,700 points of sale and employing more than 120,000 people.
