OREANDA-NEWS. According to the agency “Auto-Dealer-SPb", in I quarter of 2015 it was sold 28,482 new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in St. Petersburg – it is less by 38% than the same period of the last year. In March, the dynamics of the fall of the car market continued to deteriorate. Car dealers sold 10,585 vehicles, which is less by 45% than in March of 2014. Previously, the city car market at the end of one month does not fall more than 40%.

A positive trend in the I quarter was shown only by nine brands, five of them are premium segment. Only one brand from the Top 10 shows sales growth for the first three months - a Mercedes-Benz (6%). Another premium brand is still in the top ten - BMW.

"Such a sharp fall in March is explained by several factors - along with the overall negative state of the market, it is also the expectation of the consumer launch of the program of preferential car loan and high base of March of the last year, when it was sold almost 20,000 cars", - says the CEO of “Auto-Dealer- St. Petersburg", Michael Chaplygin.

Renault and KIA occupy traditionally the top two positions in the market for new cars in St. Petersburg. For third place during the year it will be a struggle between Nissan, Hyundai and Lada. Domestic brand completed March with the second place in terms of sales, and in the first three months it came in the top 5, by surpassing Volkswagen.

"Lada becomes one of those brands that are benefiting from the withdrawal from the Russian market of GM, - says Michael Chaplygin. - Some dealers are ready to replenish the portfolio of domestic brands. Against this background, the current brand dealers are trying to improve their results and to show them for the management of AvtoVAZ. In particular, in March, it was held All-Russian Conference of dealers of group, and in the beginning of April its president came to St. Petersburg”.

The share of St. Petersburg in the total new car sales in Russia in the I quarter of 2015 was 7.4%.