Posted 13 мая 2009,, 00:56

Published 13 мая 2009,, 00:56

Modified 17 сентября 2022,, 14:21

Updated 17 сентября 2022,, 14:21

Extraordinary Demand on Right-Hand Drive Cars in Russia

13 мая 2009, 00:56
Support of the Russian automobile by command-and-control methods does not give any positive results; the demand on domestic-made cars keeps declining

Vladivostok. May 13. VOSTOK-MEDIA – Extraordinary demand on right-hand drive foreign cars may soon occur in Russia, says Igor Korovkin, chief of Russian Union of Car Manufacturers, one of the drafters of the technical regulations “On safety of wheeled motor vehicles”.
According to Igor Korovkin, import of right-hand drive cars and other cars that fall short of the Russian technical regulations is likely to be prohibited on the entry into force of this document worked out by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation (MITRF) jointly with three Russian business-associations. Though, the ban does not reach those right-hand drive cars that are already in the territory of the Russian Federation.
Those who like exclusive foreign cars, which may be bought at a low price, are likely to buy it before the new technical regulations enter into force, forecasts Igor Korovkin. Despite of the high import taxes, the price on right-hand drive cars is lower. According to the representative of MITRF, the technical regulations which had been developed for three years, were already aired. At the present the document passes interdepartmental and then it will be sent to government commission on traffic safety, headed by the Vice Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov.
There is no other country in the world that has mixed left-hand and right-hand drive cars. There is a regulation in the law “on traffic safety” that permits using of left-hand drive cars in Russia. But since mid 1990s right-hand drive cars have been imported by connivance. In fact none of these cars should have passed inspection.” – stated Igor Korovkin.
The head of Association of the Russian Car Manufacturers assumes that the limits of a debate in regard to the new technical regulations are likely to be fixed at the early summer and the regulations will come in force in summer, 2010. To prevent flooding of right-hand cars in the country, lawmakers should prohibit the import of such cars ahead of schedule.
According to experts, by the time the technical regulations, which prohibit import of right-hand drive cars, come into force suppliers will switch to converting of right-hand drive cars to left-hand ones.

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