In Sber told about the “Cuban scenario” for the Russian car market
As used cars become cheaper, they are distributed across Russian regions. One of the largest markets for such machines is the North Caucasus
In Russia, the “Cuban scenario” is already partially implemented, in which cars remain in use for decades, but the cars are not so much transferred within the same family “from father to son, from grandfather to grandson”, as they move between regions as the cost of cars in the secondary market decreases. This was stated by Mikhail Matovnikov, Senior Managing Director and Head of the Financial Analytics Center of Sberbank, during the Strategic Forum of the Automotive Industry.
“In a sense, we are already there,” said Matovnikov, answering the question of whether the “Cuban scenario” can be realized in the Russian car market by 2030.
After the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and the introduction of a US trade embargo in the early 1960s, the supply of American cars and spare parts to the island virtually ceased. Many Cubans continued to repair and maintain American cars of the 1950s, and later Soviet-made cars appeared on the roads.
The Russian specificity, according to Matovnikov, is that cars are gradually moving between regions. In the Far East and in the western part of the country there are their own flows of imported used cars with understandable characteristics. New cars, including foreign ones, are sold mainly in the largest cities, Russian cars are sold in the Volga region and Central Russia. As the price decreases in the secondary market, cars are distributed further around the country. One of the largest markets for such machines is the North Caucasus. Beyond the Urals and Siberia, Matovnikov noted, Asian cars play a prominent role.
The average age of passenger cars in Russia on July 1, 2026 was 15.4 years, follows from the data of the analytical agency AUTOSTAT. At the beginning of the year, 69% of passenger cars in the country were older than ten years.
Separately, Matovnikov drew attention to the change in consumer habits of young people. Young Russians do not refuse to travel by car, but less and less want to own their own car. Gasoline costs vary similarly to other age groups, while car ownership costs are reduced.
"The guys didn't refuse to steer, they refused to own," the analyst said. In his opinion, the largest cities already have infrastructure that allows you to do without a personal car. In addition, the purchase of a car is associated with a rapid loss of value, and immediately after leaving the dealership, the car can fall by about 20%. Against this background, the expert believes, the segment of services related to car sharing - the so-called "sharing economy" will grow.
In September, Russia issued 102.4 thousand car loans for new and used cars, which is 13.3% less than in the same period last year. This was reported by Autonews in the National Bureau of Credit Histories (NBKI).
In Moscow, the number of issued car loans for the year decreased by 15.6%, and in St. Petersburg – by 18.5%. The most significant decrease was recorded in the Krasnodar Territory (-25.2%), as well as in Chuvashia (-24.8%), the Perm Territory (-24.2%) of the Kirov Region (-20.7%) and the Stavropol Territory (-20.2%).
