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OREANDA-NEWS. AvtoVAZ in April eliminated the existed deficit of mass models Lada since the autumn of 2014. According to data of AvtoVAZ dealers, earlier the dealer stocks were 0.5-0.7 of monthly sales, they are at a standard, 1.2-1.5-month level, wrote the newspaper "Vedomosti". For comparison: in February, Russia had sold 23,639 cars Lada, in March - 27423 units, according to the Association of European Businesses. The dealer network has received the required number of cars, so AvtoVAZ was able to reach the target - a 20 per cent market share, said a spokesman for AvtoVAZ.

In 2014, sales of Lada in Russia fell by 15% to 387,307 units, the market share decreased by 0.9 p. p. to 15.5%, according to the AEB. In 2015, AvtoVAZ plans to sell in Russia 325-350 thousand cars (minus 10-16%), said in March the president of the concern, Bo Andersson.

Last year, the deficit of Lada at dealers did not allow AvtoVAZ to take full advantage of a surge in demand that arose due to the resumption of the state program of parc renewal (since September) and the sharp devaluation of the ruble (November-December). "The deficit was associated with a sharp change in the economic situation in the country, that the unpredictable impact on the work of local parts manufacturers," - says a representative of AvtoVAZ. Some contractors of plant had not been able to move quickly under the increased order from AvtoVAZ or stopped shipments, without agreeing with the car plant about prices. The crisis of suppliers, in particular, has led to the fact that AvtoVAZ agreed with "Rostech" that it will receive part of the production assets of one of the largest suppliers - OAT group (part of the "Rostech").

But not all dealers please the elimination of the deficit of Lada. "The deficit was a strong psychological incentive for buyers who reasoned as follows: there are no cars in stock, so many who want to buy them, too, so we need to take it”, - says one of the interlocutors" Vedomosti ". – “At a time when deficits are gone, we feel a sharp drop in demand”.

In March, the Russian car market has shrunk by 42.5%, sales of Lada – by 26%, according to the AEB. In April, total sales of cars will be reduced by approximately 40%, sales of Lada will be better than the market, according to a source in one of the dealers. The ruble has stabilized, foreign cars that rose sharply due to the devaluation, gradually getting cheaper, and car prices of AvtoVAZ are still lower than the competitors have, he explains. According to him, the management of the plant in communion with dealers promises not to increase prices before the end of 2015 (from the beginning of the year they were raised twice), unless there is a strong currency fluctuations. "AvtoVAZ operates in a highly competitive, but it is focused on achieving 20 % market share, and it determines the pricing policy of the brand”, - said the representative of the plant.

Another dealer said that AvtoVAZ, even though lower in comparison with foreign cars prices, will experience a lot of pressure due to the general decline in demand, while the market receives the new model Lada Vesta (the start of production will begin in September 2015) and Lada Xray (the start - in December).