OREANDA-NEWS. According to the agency “Auto-Dealer-SPb", in January-February of 2015 in St. Petersburg it was sold 17,875 new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, which is less by 32% than the same period of the last year. In February, the falling of car market has increased - it was sold 9579 cars in the city – it is less by 38% than the year before. Such a reduction of the market by the results of one month in St. Petersburg was not fixed before. In addition, the first two months it was sold less of cars than for December of the last year.

Leader in the automotive market of the city does not change - it is the French Renault. The Top 10 still includes two premium brands - Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which replaced the Chevrolet and Ford that have settled in the middle of the second ten. Totally for January-February, only 10 brands show a positive trend and a half of them represent the premium segment - in addition to Mercedes-Benz, it is Audi, Lexus, Porsche and Chrysler.

"Premium brands are growing at the expense of more flexible pricing policy in a period of sharp fluctuations of the ruble, and also these brands had the start of sales of upgraded models at the beginning of the year”, - said General Director of “Auto-Dealer-SPb", Michael Chaplygin. - Since March seasonal promotions started from importers, and it gives certain prerequisites for the growth activity of buyers. Consumers' expectations of the program of preferential car loan might affect negatively on the results of March, which is scheduled for launch in the second quarter”.

Some of the brands, which were earlier in the Top-20, reduced their sales in February by more than 90% - it is Suzuki, Honda, Opel. SsangYong located close to them in terms of the negative dynamics.

The share of St. Petersburg in the total sales of new cars in Russia in January-February 2014 is 7.3%.