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After the quarantine in Lithuania was announced on March 16, a large part of the trade stopped. Although the cars remained parked in the car market near Gariūnai, leaving phone numbers behind their windows for buyers to contact, dealers said the pandemic froze their business – very few calls were received and so far they have been allowed to the market will operate again. people are reluctant to buy cars.
After visiting the car market, most dealerships refuse to speak to the camera, but share their experiences without triggering filming. Vladislav, who has been in the auto trade for three decades, said he had already survived more than one crisis, but had lost one like this.
“It just came to our attention then. No one buys,” he says.
We expect buyers from abroad
During the strict quarantine, the dealership said it had received very few calls from residents who wanted to buy a car.
“And if you call, it’s for 4.5 thousand. The car says it will pay 2.5 thousand. Or even 1.5 thousand,” Vladislav complained.
The situation has not improved much, he said, and with the start of the quarantine launch, there are still few people entering the automotive market, and major buyers from Ukraine, Latvia and Poland have left.
Roland, who has been a car dealer for more than twenty years, said the worst time he can remember so far was 2008-2009. crisis.
“You could give the cars away for free, no one would have taken them.” No one needed it, “said the interlocutor sarcastically. At the moment, he said, the buyers may be, but there is not much to offer them.
“If we give a good price, we can sell everything, but there is nothing for us to buy, so we sit down with what we have and wait,” he said.
The car dealer said it has had no new cars since March, when they were last brought from France. With the start of the pandemic in Europe, car markets also closed there, and plans to buy new cars had to be put on hold.
“Maybe there would be buyers, but we have nothing new to offer,” he said. Like the first operator interviewed, Roland is waiting for free movement to cross borders, and everything else, he says, will put the market in order. Then, perhaps, the trade will become more active, although when the borders become clearer, Latvian customers will also close.
Fear of losing Ukrainian buyers permanently
Car salesman Robert lives in the same mood. The man says that although the country is already breaking free from quarantine, the car market is still stagnant.
“Cars cannot enter or leave Lithuania. Cars brought in March are still for sale. Although quarantine is easier, we need people to come and we will be able to leave new cars ”, opened the interlocutor.
Robert said he himself receives calls from acquaintances of Ukrainians who are interested in when it will be possible to return to the car market.
“They want to have money, but no one is letting them in yet. If this is the case for another second month, we will lose the market because they will go to other countries,” feared the interlocutor, adding that he was eager for the liberalization of movement across borders. Free movement between Lithuania and Latvia is not enough for car dealers as many more buyers are received from Ukraine, Moldova, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
When asked if the pandemic did not lower the price of the cars he sold, Robert said that prices have not yet fallen.
“If I knew I can buy a new one cheaper, I would give it away cheaper, but now we don’t know what the prices are (abroad). If I give it cheap, and the same prices there, it will be nothing,” he argued.
Auto dealer Tad said the pandemic and quarantine had slowed business for a time.
“He stopped for a bit, he felt very strong. Second, Regitra has suspended his job and it is currently quite difficult to register cars as he is pre-registering and it takes about two weeks to register a car. Now that he was a customer he chose a car and it is difficult to convince him that he will be able to register only after two weeks, because he wants to receive the product immediately, “he said.
The merchant also said that after the quarantine was announced, the first two to three weeks they didn’t even receive phone calls from customers, but with the introduction of the quarantine, the number of calls increased.
Although the merchant observes an increasing number of customers, he is not satisfied with the expectations of buyers for a low price.
No price changes yet
When you visit the car market before lunch, you don’t really see many buyers. They can be counted on the fingers of the hands. Residents who agreed to speak said they still did not feel significant price changes.
“The price is the same. I have seen before and now, nothing has changed. What I found I will buy,” said Rimas.
Tom doesn’t feel much change in the market, but says he still hasn’t been able to find the desired purchase.
“It just came to our attention then. Negotiations are possible, but there is no drop in prices. So far, I don’t find a good option to negotiate,” he said, adding that this may be a good time to buy a car.
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