After the company’s efforts to control prices, they began to pursue a more balanced policy, Sergei Gromak, AvtoVAZ’s vice president for external relations and interaction with shareholders, told RIA Novosti. According to him, “no one has been caught yet” in new cases of overvaluation of Lada. Dealers have begun to pay more attention to price tags, and AvtoVAZ continues to monitor this, he assured.
Gromak noted that official Lada dealers are visited by secret shoppers who compare actual prices with those recommended by the manufacturer. On-site inspections are also carried out. “We continue to work on it,” he said.
In May, AvtoVAZ introduced maximum prices for Lada at Russian dealers. For price gouging, sellers were threatened with serious penalties, including termination of the contract with the automaker.
In June, AvtoVAZ conducted a large-scale inspection of Torgmash, AvtoGermes and Tekhinkom dealers. They were strongly advised to remove cars with extra features from showrooms and leave only cars with factory equipment. As RIA Novosti notes, they were also subject to commercial sanctions for inflating prices for Lada Vesta.
Meanwhile, Lada sales are growing. In August, 33,325 commercial and passenger vehicles were sold, which was not only the best result in 2023, but also the maximum since July 2021. In total, from January to August, AvtoVAZ sold 206,321 cars – more than in the entire 2022.
Say no to dullness: official new cars in Russia
