KAZAN, February 28. /TASS/. Possible return to the Russian market will be difficult for European car brands, Sergey Sadovenko, a representative of the Chinese auto concern JAC, sales director of JAC Automobile LLC, said in an interview with TASS.
"As for the opinion that American and European brands will return in the near future - I would beg to argue. <…> Because for Europe, the return will be the most difficult - in terms of local production and recycling fees, the product and its price, market demand. From the prospective of America, the Russian market is not the highest priority for them, moreover, logistics chains, and the product itself is currently not the most in demand on the Russian market," he said.
According to the industry expert, the return of Asian automakers, namely "Koreans" and "Japanese", will be the fastest.
"But with a very important caveat - [the return will go fast] as soon as it starts, but when it will start, no one knows yet," he said.
Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said that domestic manufacturers should be given advantages in the event of the return of foreign companies to the Russian market, but this must be done in compliance with the requirements of the World Trade Organization. In turn, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov noted that Russia will closely consider the return of companies that left its market in 2022.