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In Lithuania, mobile phones from Chinese manufacturers no longer surprise, but have been gradually but steadily gaining market share with the world’s most famous brands. And Chinese cars are extremely rare in our country, all attempts to sell them so far have ended in complete failure. But soon the situation may change.
The jump is huge
The Chinese auto industry has taken a staggering leap over the past decade. Previously mocked for its deplorable quality, Chinese production is becoming an increasingly serious competitor to well-known car brands. Chinese producers outperform all the most advanced regions, the EU, the US and Japan together, with a turnover of billions of euros.
Among the largest Chinese automakers are Shanghai General Motors (SGM, in collaboration with the famous American company General Motors), Dongfeng, FAW and Chang’an, BAIC. Many of them not only produce local brands in their factories, as well as SGM, but also assemble cars from well-known European and American brands.
Geely, the largest private car manufacturer in Europe, which also owns the famous Swedish company Volvo, is well known in Europe by its Chinese names. The road to the Old Continent has long been divided by the Great Wall group of companies, famous for its SUV products, Chery, co-owner of the famous British brands Jaguar and Rover, and many others.
Of course, among the hundreds of Chinese car manufacturers, there is still not one whose cars clearly confirm that the Chinese industry originated from failed replicas of Soviet cars that began to be produced in the middle of the last century. But the best modern Chinese cars have gained recognition far beyond Asia.
Become official representatives
Large Chinese car assembly plants also operate on the outskirts of Lithuania, in Belarus. These cars also occupy an important part of the Russian fleet. However, selling Chinese cars in Lithuania is not the best deal. This is evidenced by many attempts to represent the giant Asian producers in our region. A good decade ago, Great Wall, whose SUVs were sold by IM Group, tried to set foot in the Baltics. True, IM Group soon wrapped up the fishing rods.
After the failure of the first backup, there were several more, the last of which, about eight years ago. Autobagi has announced that it represents the Chinese brand Dongfeng Motor in the Baltic region. In 2010, the company delivered about 40 cheap Chinese commercial cars to Lithuania, of which only three were sold in our country. The rest were sold in Poland and Germany. Company representatives regretted that the cruelty of the Chinese salon and other aspects were unacceptable to Lithuanians.
Despite the previous setbacks, Chinese cars are expected to make a comeback soon. Capital-based company Busnex, which started selling Yutong electric buses in the Baltic region last year, has announced that it will also sell cars. It is true that Vilnius residents who belong to the Avia Solutions Group will try to sell Chinese electric cars Seres. Busnex, which has already ordered 50 electric cars, will set up a central warehouse in Lithuania and start operating in one of Opel’s former showrooms in Vilnius. The first cars are scheduled to go on sale at the end of April.
Seres is a Chinese-owned electric car manufacturing company founded in California just five years ago. It is considered one of Tesla’s biggest competitors and one of the executives of the company is the former founder of Tesla, Martin Eberhard.
Back: Vilnius residents who have signed an official agreement with the Chinese will try to sell Seres brand cars from April.
Not in the market, in the ads
While official companies are still preparing to return Chinese cars to the Lithuanian market, unofficial dealers already offer the opportunity to buy similar products. Valentinas Naujanis, head of the company “Varanas”, which controls the market, said that he had captured a Chinese car for sale some time ago, but that as far as we know, this attempt ended in failure.
After reviewing the advertisements on the most popular Lithuanian car trading portals, we did not find any offers for Chinese gasoline or diesel machines. However, we did find some ads about electric cars for sale. For example, for a new JAC iEV7S SUV, 29 thousand are requested. euros. Looking for lower prices on one of our Facebook accounts, we found information on used electric cars for sale in Asia. Among the available purchases are BYD electric cars, which are quite popular in China. Although the machines have managed to cover several kilometers over several years of operation, they are also more economically priced.
For 2017 production 90 thousand. km, the standard version of the E5 model, 15 thousand. EUR, with additional accessories (modern multimedia system, rear view camera, etc.) will come out and 20 thousand. The most spacious E6 model is estimated at 25 thousand. euros. It is true that it is announced that the battery of this model has been replaced with a new one. It is about 400 km and the E5 about 300 km. In addition, the maximum speed of the machines varies from 130 km / h respectively. (E5) and 160 km / h. (E6). On the other hand, knowing that the prices of electric cars are almost twice those of machines with an internal combustion engine, they are also cheap when used. True, the main trump card of Chinese production is always the same – a much lower price than analogues from Europe, the US or other Asian countries.
After contacting the seller from Šiauliai, it became clear that only one model of the BYD offered by him can be inspected – the E5. It is true that Šiauliai, who communicated nicely, claimed that he only mediated for his friend, who lives in Latvia, so it will be difficult to test the car during the quarantine.
To see – to Latvia
After contacting the seller from Šiauliai, it became clear that only one model of the BYD offered by him can be inspected – the E5. Admittedly, Šiauliai, who communicates nicely, claimed that he was only mediating for his friend, who lives in Latvia, so it will be difficult to test the car during the quarantine. According to the man, used cars are transported to Lithuania directly from China, although in the past it was quite popular when the car was first operated in some of the major European countries, and only then did it arrive in our country on a network. drag.
According to the dealer’s knowledge, the simplest E5 model cars in China were used by a taxi service company and were massively upgraded to newer ones at the end of the contract period. So the old men are exhausted.
According to him, the largest electric cars, E6, performed a more noble mission, they transported Chinese police officers. However, it is not possible to view this model live, so only the information collected online should be satisfied before purchasing. If cut by hand, it would take about three months to get the car out of Asia. The truth of how they would be purchased from public and private institutions has not been clarified.
Few: In Lithuania, the highest number of registered JAC SUVs is recorded – only sixteen units.
Customs duties apply
One of the biggest problems when buying a Chinese car is maintenance and repair. And while an electric car requires incomparably less attention than a conventional fuel-powered machine, in the event of a breakdown, you’d have to crack your head to get the parts you need. BYD has offices not only in Lithuania, but also in neighboring countries. After asking this question, the seller assured that the parts could be ordered from dealers in the Netherlands or Norway. In the worst case, it is always possible to ship directly from China. It is true that all the options would mean a long or very long wait.
While the option itself, if all the factors listed were in line with reality, seemed to me quite worth considering, in this case there were more doubts about mandatory customs duties and some legal aspects.
When asked if there would be difficulties in registering their cars in Lithuania, the interviewee answered negatively: after completing the compulsory formalities in the “Regitra”, it would be possible to drive these cars in Lithuania without any problem. True, he argued that it would be difficult to go abroad with him and not be sold to another country. Therefore, E5 should finish his entire earthly journey in Lithuania.
In Lithuania – about fifty
According to Regitra specialists, who analyzed the statistics of passenger cars (category M1) that arrived in Lithuania from China for the first time at the request of our newspaper, last year neither new nor used cars were registered in our country. By looking at the entire car fleet, it can be seen that there are very few Chinese car manufacturers in Lithuania. For example, JAC cars in our country registered sixteen, Shuanghuan – fourteen, the Great Wall – eight, Shenyang Brilliance Jinbei – six, Zhonghua – five, etc.
According to the representative of “Regitra” Emilija Bardauskienė, stricter requirements are established for vehicles arriving from abroad when registering them in our country than for those already operating in Lithuania. If the used car does not come from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA), it will be necessary to carry out a conformity assessment to confirm that the registered vehicle meets the national, i.e. Lithuanian requirements.
In such cases, it is necessary to contact the companies conducting the technical expertise, the list of which can be found on the ltsa.lrv.lt portal.
More stringent requirements apply
Upon arriving at the “Registry” to register the car, you must present: 1. Your identity document or passport. 2. A sales contract or other document confirming the acquisition. 3. Proof of prior registration of the vehicle or other original document. 4. Certificate of technical examination. Also arrange a mandatory car insurance and a technical inspection (if not valid).
By the way, all vehicles arriving from abroad are also subject to identification in the “Registry”, so it is necessary to present the vehicle itself, and not just present its documents. Vehicles from Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein and all third countries will be subject to mandatory customs duties.
In the case of a new car, i.e. not yet registered, originating from outside the EEA, the requirements depend on whether it was imported individually or through the manufacturers’ representatives. If individual, an individual approval at the technical examination company will be required and a certificate will be required. Requirements for individual approval are also set by the Lithuanian Transportation Security Administration (LTSA).
If the new car was bought from the representatives of the manufacturers in the EU or Lithuania, then they must issue a vehicle approval document, an EU certificate of conformity, also called a CoC, which contains information about the vehicle and its technical parameters . It also confirms that the vehicle complies with safety regulations, EU pollution, can participate in public traffic, etc. Once this document is submitted, no individual approval will be required.
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