For the nine months of 2010 in Russia were manufactured 32181 buses, or 47,7% more than during the same period of the last year. The assembling of the buses of foreign brands made in January-September of 2010, 5587 units, and their share in total production of buses in the Russian Federation – 17,3%. In general, the analysts of the ASM-holding state that the bus segment of the automotive market of Russia, which was the first to experience the impact of the economic crisis, since February 2010 rapidly comes out of recession. The growth rate of sales of buses from the beginning of this year compared to the corresponding period of 2009 amounted to +16,6% in February, +25% in March, +39,8% in April, during the period from May to August it has stabilized at +44-46%, and in September rose to +50,2%. The total number of the sold units of buses in Russia in January-September 2010 amounted to 33745 against 22460 of units a year earlier. However, compared to the same period in 2008 when there were sold 55040 of buses, the sales decline so far is a very substantial magnitude -38,7%.
The increase in the sales of buses for the 9 months of 2010 (compared to January-September of 2009) totaled to +50,2%, was recorded in varying degrees in all the segments of the bus market. The sales of the products of the Russian bus factories rose by 42,4% - to 24595 units but their market share decreased from 76,9% to 72,9%. The limited capacity to meet the growing demand from the local buses gave an impulse to the growth of imports. If a year ago, the imports were completely overlapped by the export of new buses, in January-September 2010, the trade balance on buses was markedly disturbed in favor of imports. While maintaining the volume of exports for 9 months at 1,6 thousand of units the new imports increased by 2,7 times – to 4224 units with the expansion of the market share in this segment from 6,9% to 12,5%. The used import has also increased (from 432 to 963 units.), although its share has remained at a very modest level (2,9%).
In the segment “Russian cars” due to increased production of FIAT Ducato in Yelabuga there was recorded the sales growth of 23,1% - up to 3963 buses. The lag from the aggregate growth of the rate of the bus market formally shows the decline in the market share in this segment at 2,6 points – to 11,7%, but the actual share of the segment of the “Russian cars” on the bus market is 15%, taking into account the “vans” based on MB Sprinter, VW Crafter, Peugeot Boxer produced by LLC “MPC Luidor” and GC “IRITO”.
