11.03.09

Despite the motor boom in Russia over the past few years most people still have no private cars or the intention to buy any - just because they cannot afford them, an opinion poll by the national public opinion studies center VCIOM has found.

Only 39 percent of Russian families have cars. Since 2006 the number of car owners has been up by a mere three percent. The fleet of private cars has undergone fundamental renewal, mostly as a result of an influx of foreign makes.

The share of families with domestically manufactured cars has been down from 75 percent to 63 percent, while the number of owners of foreign makes grew by 50 percent from 27 percent to 41 percent.

Low incomes remain the main reason why Russians have no plans for buying cars. This is the problem of 47 percent of the polled. Eleven percent of the polled families said they would like to have cars, but most of them see this as a remote possibility that may materialize no earlier than in two or three years' time.

According to the poll, most of the cars in service have a long mileage. Fifty nine percent said so, but at the same time only one in five polled plans to buy a new or newer vehicle.

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Source: Itar-Tass