The event was attended by heads of Ukrainian car companies: Stanislav Shcherbyna, who heads the VAAID and the "Cadillac, Chevrolet Automobile Group", Oleh Nazarenko, who holds the post of VAAID CEO, Viktor Postelnykov, who heads the CJSC "Vipos Automobile Group", as well as Olena Dunina, CEO of the SE "AVTO International".
Those gathered expressed the common opinion that the head of state Viktor Yushchenko should veto the VRU bill 2351-1, since its provisions run counter to the requirements that Ukraine undertook upon joining the WTO. Currently, import duties are equal to 10%, but if the new document gains force, then for cars with engines with a working volume from one to 2.2 liters, the rate will remain at 25% until January 1, 2009. It was also noted that the cost of new cars has indeed gone down, but its further dynamics will directly depend on the fate of this law. Based on the results of last month, car sales somewhat yielded to April indicators, stopping at around 50 thousand units, but this still exceeds last year's level, which indicates a continuing market rise.
Stanislav Shcherbyna emphasized that due to uncertainty with duties, manufacturers cannot set final prices for 2009 model year cars, which should soon appear at dealers. Moreover, reducing duties for cars with engines over 2.2 liters can lead to an absurd situation where a version with a two-liter engine turns out to be more expensive than a similar model with a 2.4-liter unit.
All participants agreed that the entry into force of the VRU bill 2351-1 would turn into negative consequences for the car market.
