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Long ago Russians can be seen, and Belarusians have left for new cars? What is happening in the "beushki" market

Author: Veronika Saitko. Photo: Anna Ivanova, Alexander Ružček

Traditionally it is believed that autumn car markets (including the legendary Malinovka) bloom: buyers who come from dachas and send off heirs to school return to their desire to refresh the car. Usually during this time activity was also increased among Russians, but due to tightening import rules and higher scrap rates, Belarus almost ceased to be interested in them in terms of vehicle purchases. And also people say that Belarusians themselves take more active new cars instead of "beushki"… Is this so or not? Together with WIGO we went to the car market in Malinovka, and also spoke with representatives of regional auto-houses to find an answer to this question. Since the used car market is inseparably linked with the service sector — we also visited the capital STO.

How does the Belarusian car market look today? We learned on the legendary Malinovka and compared prices with last year's

Car markets in the traditional sense, when car enthusiasts gathered on weekends at one location trying to find their "laughing kestrels" as new owners, have faded away. This we confirmed when we drove through regions for a full year. In place of car markets, auto-houses took over. They filled Malinovka: you will not find private sellers there anymore.

But at the same time the legendary capital venue literally acts like a litmus paper reflecting all market trends. So all paths lead there, where for decades sellers and buyers from all corners of the country had gathered — during reportage preparation we entered Malinovka twice. Both times on a weekday.

Free parking closer to the end of the market each time was blocked by cars — not to hit. Indeed, it should be noted that part of this parking area was taken over by the auto-house, so now there is a shortage of parking spaces.

But on the actual market — nobody. Where are the people? Are they working in sweat to save up for a cheap "European"? Or to quickly pay off a Geely loan? People say that Belarusians have become less purchasing used cars, massively preferring showroom cars. Is this true or not — asked in one of the local auto-houses.

— Belarusians both bought used cars and buy — immediately refutes rumors Denis, representative of CarLifeGroup. — The market has simply changed and been reformatted.

First, many have decided to buy BelGee/Geely cars. The latest Geely models have proven themselves in terms of quality and equipment, one might say above the mid‑range class — Belarusians like them. Plus, I think this is linked to the many installment and credit offers. And until people actually buy them, the market cannot rely on them — they are unlikely to buy another car.

Second, many have stopped driving to the capital to buy a car and have begun choosing what is closer to home. Over the past few years, many car houses have opened — in all regions, in all oblasts. And if they don't find what they want there, they go to the regional center, the oblast center, or Minsk.

Third, some “buy” based on social‑media ads promising to bring cars from abroad cheaply — sometimes the promises are almost 40–50% below market price. Some manage to bring them, others do not, but that is a completely different story.

Fourth, there are a few (but not many) who still come to the largest capital markets out of old habit. But there they interact not with private sellers but with car houses.

Previously, the Belarusian market was seriously “supported” by Russians. They came in large numbers to Belarus to inspect cars for

Our interlocutor clearly hints that Chinese sellers should learn to be flexible.

In our traditional reports from Malinovka, we constantly talk about the price of “people’s” models “right now.” This time we also recalled a couple of popular options that appeared on the market six months and a year ago, and looked at how much the same cars cost now. But it should be noted: the price of a “European” car always depends on mileage and condition, so a “comparative analysis” of different offers is approximate.

For example, last November a 2021 Peugeot 5008 (mileage — 165,000 km) in the Allure trim cost $22,500 at the then‑current exchange rate, which fluctuated between 2.9153 and 2.9796 rubles per dollar. The currency has risen slightly since then. The same model from the same year with the same engine (mileage — over 180,000 km), but in a more “poor” version, is listed for sale at $22,900.

So a year has passed, our hypothetical car has aged, but its price hasn't dropped.

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"It won't work," the interlocutor is confident. "For someone to buy a car, they have to put their old one on the secondary market. And where will this car go next? Before, at least to Russia it went, but now there are many here. The price will have to be lowered; he can't sell an expensive car."

"Many cars were brought from Europe, but now only broken 'Americans' and something from Korea come to us. Yes, not all of the market is currently focused on the Chinese segment: many remain loyal to Audi, Mercedes, Kia, Hyundai and so on. A person with $30 thousand equivalent in hand will ponder what to take - a 2021 Audi or a Ge

The lack of interest in electric cars is the result of quota expiration and limited supply in this segment. Even the model range of electric vehicles offered by official dealers does not fully reflect customer demands, says 5Region.

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On the other hand, they disagree with the capital colleague's assumption about the oversaturation of the used car market in Borisov.

— Who sets the saturation threshold and how can such conclusions be quantified using open sources? No leading country classifier can serve as a measure of vehicle purchase or sales volumes, since part of cars may be sold between relatives or friends - how to account for that? A car, like any other product, has its own life cycle - some vehicles leave service, which allows the market to renew itself. Only "spikes" related to currency exchange rate growth or seasonality might occur.

Used car trading remains the foundation of the automobile sales market in the country, and it has been sufficiently firmly established. Yes, part of customers have moved to new Chinese brands, but traditional (European, American, Korean) brands still enjoy active demand for our country, and these can currently only be purchased in the used car format.

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The departure of Russians did indeed affect sales volume, but the market quickly reformed and found demand on the domestic market. Meanwhile, we are seeing demand for cars older than 30 years, as neighboring countries have canceled scrappage programs for such vehicles. And a generation born in the early to mid-1980s is now actively

The expert, who has worked in the automotive field for 20 years, notes that in recent years the prices of spare parts have fallen — for instance, compared to the sharp rise in 2022, when ordering something directly from the manufacturer was practically impossible due to restrictions.

• In 2023–2024, the cost of certain items in the original segment was three to four times higher.

Everything can be obtained, but how long does it take? Non‑standard parts for models that aren't mainstream take about a month, and in rare cases a few more.

— More common parts, such as those for the engine, for example, some suppliers are ready to deliver within two weeks from Europe. It all depends on the urgency of the repair and the client's budget. If the client is willing to wait, say, 2–3 weeks, the part will arrive for 100 rubles. If not, it can be delivered in a shorter time, but the delivery cost will rise to about 200 rubles.

There are no issues on the market with consumables — even for originals.

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