Kazakhstanis spent over $650M to buy new cars in 2018
According to the information of the Union of Automotive Industry Enterprises of Kazakhstan "KazAvtoProm", official dealers sold 25,989 cars, which is 37.8% higher than in 2017. In the accounting period, to purchase new cars, Kazakhstanis spent KZT 214.3 billion ($653.3 million), which is 43% higher than a year earlier.
Sales in June this year (5,369 units) exceeded last year's figure by 28.6%. The market size in value terms for the month reached KZT 49.1 billion ($146.1 million), exceeding last year's figure by 50.6%.
13,752 (52.9%) of the sold cars accounted for imports, while 12,237 buyers (47.1%) opted for those made by Kazakhstani car factories.
In the first half of the year, Lada was the most popular brand among Kazakhstanis. This year 5,879 Russian-brand cars were sold in the country. Sales of Toyota vehicles amounted to 5,599 units. With 3,398 cars sold, Hyundai was recognized as the third highest-demand car manufacturer.
The residents of Almaty and Astana demonstrated the highest purchasing activity in the first half of the year as they bought 6,755 and 4,750 cars, respectively.
In June, for the first time in the past 18 months, the dealers' monthly sales passed the 5,000 mark.
"As oil prices break through $70 in the second quarter, and amid stable 4% GDP growth, the consumer demand in the automotive market continued to recover. Kazakhstanis' expenditure for buying new cars in June reached a three-year high of KZT 49 billion, or $146 million," said Oleg Alfyorov, Head of KazAvtoProm.