From January to June 2021, Russians took out auto loans totaling 433 billion rubles.

The achieved figure was 85% higher than in the first six months of 2020.

Moreover, relative to the same period in 2019, the value increased by 65%.

Such data on Tuesday, July 27, was presented by the United Credit Bureau (OKB).

According to the organization, in just the first half of 2021, motorists have issued 416 thousand loans.

For comparison, in 2020, from January to June, banks issued only 274 thousand loans to buy a car, and in 2019 - 322 thousand.

“Thus, the issue, both in quantitative terms and in volume, surpasses not only the weak (due to the lockdown) indicators of the last year, but also the record indicators of 2019,” the OKB study says.

As noted in the bureau, for six months the average size of a car loan in Russia increased by 148 thousand rubles and exceeded 1.07 million rubles.

The most active banks were issuing loans in the Krasnodar Territory (an increase of 83%), Kaluga and Moscow regions (by 77%).

The sharp growth of the Russian car lending market observed today is largely due to the shortage of the model range, which could be observed last year.

Artyom Deev, head of the analytical department of AMarkets, spoke about this in an interview with RT.

According to him, the shortage of European cars affected first of all.

Note that in 2020, against the background of the introduction of quarantine restrictions, the production of vehicles in the European Union fell by almost 23% (by 4.2 million units).

This is stated in the materials of the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA).

“European brands were traditionally in demand in Russia, but due to quarantine last year, factories were constantly shutting down and supply chains were disrupted.

As a result, dealers began to feel a shortage of cars, and at the same time problems began with spare parts.

This year there are still difficulties with the supply of parts, for example, chips, but the number of cars in different configurations has increased, so people rushed to buy, "Deyev said.  

According to the Association of European Businesses (AEB), sales of new passenger cars in Russia grew by 37% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.

In total, from January to June, Russians purchased more than 870 thousand cars.

Shopping activity has intensified, including due to the abolition of most of the quarantine restrictions within the country.

This opinion was shared by the chief analyst of the TeleTrade Group of Companies Pyotr Pushkarev in a conversation with RT.

“In the summer and fall of 2020, many clients were confused and did not know exactly how lockdowns would affect their income and what the duration of their remote employment would be.

Now the situation has changed, there has been a way out of uncertainty, which prompted Russians to make expensive purchases, ”the analyst said.

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In addition, car enthusiasts are trying to buy a vehicle as quickly as possible in anticipation of price increases.

This point of view in an interview with RT was expressed by Pavel Sigal, the first vice president of the all-Russian public organization for small and medium-sized businesses "Support of Russia".

Note that in June, annual inflation in Russia accelerated to 6.5% - the highest level in almost five years.

In these conditions, the cost of Russian new cars over the past year has grown by 11.5%, and foreign - by almost 14%.

This is evidenced by Rosstat data.

“In the fall, many traditionally expect an additional seasonal increase in car prices, which will also stimulate demand.

Therefore, the Russians are striving to buy a car quite quickly, while low interest rates on loans are still maintained, and the national currency is kept at a stable level, "Sigal explained. 

According to the AEB forecast, by the end of 2021, car sales in Russia may grow by 10% - up to 1.76 million units.

According to Artem Deev, such dynamics will have a positive effect on the performance of the Russian car industry.

Thus, enterprises will be able to significantly increase profits.

At the same time, the demand for domestic cars will continue to remain high, says Pavel Sigal.

“Russian cars will lead in terms of the number of sales even in the event of a noticeable rise in prices.

Our brands have already conquered their niche - they are car enthusiasts who need hardy and relatively inexpensive transport, ”explained Sigal.