In 2011, the company became one of the pioneers in the used car buying and selling market in Ukraine. However, due to legislative restrictions and significant excise duties on imported used cars from abroad, official importers and dealers were unable to bring such vehicles from other countries. “When new laws were adopted and excise duties on imported used passenger cars noticeably decreased, the situation changed dramatically. We are seeing significant growth in interest in this direction and see great prospects for growth. According to our estimates, in the coming years, the volume of used car imports could reach 500,000 units per year or even exceed it,” says Marketing Director Serhiy Borovyk.

Now the company has announced the start of supplies of used cars from the United States. Import from the USA has several significant advantages compared to purchases in Europe, including:

- In the USA, every car has an officially confirmed history. This data includes information about mileage, maintenance, facts and severity of accidents (with photos of the car's condition at the time of purchase), as well as the absence of damage from natural disasters. For European used cars, such information is not available, and unscrupulous intermediaries often reduce odometer readings and hide the real condition of the car when purchasing from the owner.

- Car prices in the USA are 2-3 times lower than in Europe for similar models with comparable mileage and year of manufacture.

- The range of brands and models in the USA is much wider than in EU countries, especially for Japanese and Korean manufacturers.

The company intends to wholesale purchase certain models of brands such as Honda, Mazda, Ford, Chevrolet, Volkswagen. These are cars from 2013-2016 with low mileage and automatic transmission. Buyers will be offered only “global models” that share a common technical and body platform with versions sold in Europe and Ukraine. This will greatly simplify subsequent maintenance for owners. Most of these cars will cost in the range of 10-15 thousand US dollars, while in Ukraine similar cars are sold for 13-20 thousand US dollars and even more.

The AIS group of companies will take on the purchase of cars, their transportation to Ukraine, certification, customs clearance, restoration at its own facilities, preparation for sale and transfer to dealers. Retail sales will be carried out throughout Ukraine through AIS retail outlets and its partner dealers.

“Among the leading car companies in Ukraine, no one yet offers customers imported used cars. Some small unofficial structures provide services for ordering cars from the USA for a specific client. But this has nothing to do with our approach — the buyer will be able to come to the AIS shopping center, choose an already customs-cleared car from the warehouse in excellent condition and leave in it the same day,” said Serhiy Borovyk.

A used car can be purchased on credit, leasing, or through a trade-in system. All buyers will have access to a free assistance program — technical and informational support on the road for 12 months from the date of purchase. All cars can be test-driven.

The company expects to reach import volumes of used cars of several thousand units per year, and also plans to expand the model range and the list of supplier countries.

Sales are scheduled to begin in May 2019. Specific models and prices will be announced soon, and order acceptance will begin. More about the AIS group of companies, the new model range and services can be found on the website www.ais.com.ua. Information about the offered used cars is at www.autotrade.com.ua. Individual car orders from the USA are processed at https://import.autotrade.com.ua.