The content of the article:
- Where is commercial transport used?
- Benefits of using commercial vehicles
- Most popular manufacturers
- The cheapest commercial vehicle models
In June, the segment of commercial vehicles in the Ukrainian car market showed steady growth... An interesting fact is that the commercial transport market has been demonstrating such a trend for several months already, that is, we can talk about the presence of a certain stable trend. Let's try to figure out what is the reason for this phenomenon and what are the prospects for the further development of the commercial vehicle market in Ukraine.
Where is commercial transport used?
You can hear from many analysts that the Ukrainian car market is going through hard times at the present time. This is only partly true. If we approach the analysis in more detail, it turns out that not the entire market is in decline, but only some of its segments. In particular, this applies to business class cars and foreign cars.
Indeed, in the dynamics of the acquisition of these cars, there has been a decrease in the pace. This is not surprising: with a decrease in the rate of economic development, the purchasing power of the population decreases, and accordingly, this very population purchases fewer cars. But if we turn to the segment of commercial vehicles, it turns out that the situation here does not look so depressing.
What are the commercial vehicles? First of all, these are machines that are used for solving problems of commercial organizations and servicing private clients. Let's see more specifically what types of cars fall under this definition.
The initial segment of this market is considered to be low-tonnage models of widespread use - cars with a gross weight of up to 3.5 tons, which do not require a separate category for driving.
Further it should be mentioned minibuses of small passenger capacity... Such models, being on the balance sheet of the enterprise, can be used to transport employees. Also, such minibuses can be used to transport customers if the company is engaged in a similar type of service.
For example, a hotel may have a minibus at its disposal to deliver guests to and from the airport. Urban taxi services are often faced with a demand not for a classic passenger car, but for a car with a larger passenger capacity.
More often than minibuses, semi-trucks are found in the segment of commercial vehicles. They are often used in logistics companies, large manufacturers of products (for delivery), construction companies (for transporting building materials), as well as postal delivery services.
Taking a closer look at where commercial vehicles are used, it becomes clear why this segment of the market is far from declining. Whatever the economic situation in the country, hotels continue to operate, manufacturers of goods are interested in delivering their products to consumption points, and construction companies continue to build. While these processes are in this state, commercial vehicles are indispensable.
So, against the background of a completely natural decline in the sales market for VIP vehicles and business class cars, some stability and even positive dynamics of the commercial vehicle market looks completely logical and reasonable.
Benefits of using commercial vehicles
Sales of commercial vehicles in June increased by 38% compared to the June 2017 market, and the demand for new cars in this segment of the car market increased by 24%. Statistics show that this type of transport began to be chosen not only by large commercial companies, but also by small young commercial organizations. There are several reasons for this preference.
Saving money
When purchasing a car for the needs of a company, economists take into account not only the initial cost of its purchase, but also such important characteristics as the combination of fuel consumption and vehicle carrying capacity, the cost of spare parts and consumables, and the cost of vehicle maintenance. The analysis of the listed characteristics clearly speaks in favor of commercial vehicles.
Save time
Simple logic dictates that it is preferable to make one trip on commercial transport, having laid a slightly longer route, than to drive two or three trips in a passenger car - this simply saves time. Also in the first case, the benefits of fuel economy and less depreciation of equipment are obvious.
Comfort and adaptability considerations
Modern models of commercial vehicles are perfectly adapted to the urban and rural realities of the country. They are maneuverable, have a good degree of cross-country ability, and are easy to handle in extreme urban conditions and on rural roads. Where a passenger car is at risk of getting stuck off-road, a commercial model is likely to run smoothly. This is another reason to use commercial vehicles.
Modern manufacturers offer the consumer quite comfortable models that are unlikely to be inferior to passenger cars in any way. This has led to the fact that, in addition to commercial firms, this sector of the automotive market also attracts large families, in which frequent trips by the whole family are accepted, for example, to the country house.
"Light" commercial vehicles
In the modern automotive industry, commercial vehicles are not necessarily bulky and bulky. There are “light” models, even “mini” ones. They solve the problems of transporting cargo and withstand considerable loads, while remaining fairly compact. In urban conditions, such cars are simply irreplaceable.
Most popular manufacturers
Almost all car manufacturers have a range of commercial vehicles:
- France - Citroen, Renault, Peugeot;
- Germany - Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, MINI;
- USA - Ford;
- Japan - Mazda, FUSO, ISUZU, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota;
- Korea - Huyndai, SsangYong;
- China - Great Wall, FOTON;
- Russia - Lada, GAZ, TagAZ, UAZ.
According to statistics, up to 70% of all traffic in large cities is currently provided by low-tonnage commercial vehicles with a carrying capacity of 4 to 5 tons and a length of 4 meters.
Choosing among commercial vehicle manufacturers, Ukrainian buyers pay great attention to the reliability of the car... This is natural, because if something happens to a car, you can call a taxi or go by public transport. But if a commercial vehicle "stands up", public transport will no longer save - such a breakdown is fraught with the failure of contracts and losses.
Another side is the low maintenance cost. Here Ford and Citroen are confidently holding the palm.
These considerations, along with the cost of vehicles on the market, formed a rating of the most demanded commercial vehicles.
According to statistics, the greatest demand in the commercial sector of the Ukrainian car market in June 2018 is Renault cars... In the first half of 2018, sales of commercial vehicles of this brand grew by almost 20%.
Another popular French brand - Citroen... The manufacturers of this company can boast that their sales in Ukraine have grown 3.5 times over the specified period.
The third most popular commercial vehicle is Fiat, which added 3% to its last year's figures. This is followed by Ford and the Belarusian MAZ.
The cheapest commercial vehicle models
For newly created firms, the purchase of a commercial vehicle is limited by the initial cost of the model, but it still remains more profitable than the purchase of a passenger car. Of the most affordable, Ukrainian buyers distinguish the following cars:
Lada largus
This Russian car is distinguished by a large luggage compartment volume in the “van” configuration - 2540 liters, which makes it very attractive as a mini commercial vehicle. At the same time, this model cannot be called economical - fuel consumption reaches 8.2 liters per 100 km. The cost of the car is from 9 100 US dollars.
Fiat Fiorino
Italian compact MPV with front-wheel drive. Quite a powerful car, equipped with a 1.4-liter engine with 77 hp. Trunk size - 750 L. Cost - from 10 100 US dollars.
Fiat Doblo
Turkish commercial model, more powerful than the Fiat Fiorino (95 hp engine). With a volume of 1.4 liters of the engine, the volume of the trunk is 790 liters. Cost - from 11 100 US dollars.
An interesting fact is that the preferences of Ukrainian buyers regarding the brand of the car and its manufacturer change periodically, but the general trend remains unchanged: the share of commercial vehicles in the general car market is slowly but surely growing.
