48% of foreign car owners would be willing to trade a foreign car in exchange for a Russian one
Otkritie Avto (autobusiness unit of Otkritie Bank), conducted a survey among more than 1,500 Russians, aged 18-65. The majority of respondents noted an increase of quality in Russian cars.
“In the course of the survey, 61% of respondents agreed that in recent years our automotive industry has begun to produce better cars, while 29% have not noticed any changes, and 10% have reported a deterioration in quality,” Otkritie Avto experts said.
Owners of older cars (69%), and the male portion (64% versus 58% for women) noted improvements in the domestic automotive industry more often than others (69%).
Among the owners of foreign cars, 48% of respondents expressed their readiness to exchange a foreign car for a Russian car, but only if “decent” cars were assembled in the country. 29% will do it if the quality of assembly is improved, 17% will do this for models with an attractive design, and 13% will do it if the cars have a safer build.
The survey also revealed that a fifth of car owners (21%) said they were hesitant to buy Russian cars. This was more common among women (23%), while men (18%) were more loyal the domestic auto industry (18%).
Car buyers were often guided by the possibility for cheap repairs (52%) or an acceptable cost (49%).