BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen are expanding their dealer networks in Russia to help boost sales there.
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A Mercedes spokesman told dpa-afx the automaker would add 10 new sales outlets in Russia this year. It currently has 39 sales centres.
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has said he wants to expand outside of the main boom markets of Moscow and St Petersburg. “Our coverage is not yet wide enough,” Reithofer told Automotive News Europe. He said plans to expand the dealer network would be made public shortly.
Audi’s head of sales & marketing, Ralph Wyler, told ANE that 80% of the brand’s sales are in Moscow or St Petersburg. He said he thought this ratio would continue, but is currently planning to double the number of dealers by 2010, from the current 36.
Gunnar Gaedke of automotive analysts RL Polk Marketing Systems told just-auto that one of the reasons behind the recent high growth in the Russian car market is OEMs expanding east – they are no longer just concentrating on the big cities. Sales by import brands in Russia rose 60% last year.
With 2.5m cars sold, Russia will soon be Europe’s largest car market.
Volkswagen announced last month that it had appointed the former Czech deputy premier, Martin Jahn as CEO of Volkswagen Russia. Jahn is a Skoda director.
