Russia's Avtovaz starts selling Ladas on Wildberries

MOSCOW. May 21 (Interfax) - Wildberries marketplace will begin selling Lada cars online, the Avtovaz press service reported.

At the first stage, Lada vehicles will be available to Wildberries customers in the Volgograd region through the brand's official dealer Forward-Avto LLC.

The purchase of a car on the marketplace requires advance payment from a card linked to the user's profile. Upon completion of payment, the dealership will contact the buyer to request the information necessary to conclude the contract. The client will be required to execute the sales contract upon receipt of the vehicle. Cars purchased on the marketplace will be covered by the automaker's standard three-year/100,000 km warranty.

"Expanding options for the online purchase of Lada cars is one of the key areas of the Avtovaz sales development strategy. We are pleased to begin cooperation with a strong and experienced player in the e-commerce market and to provide our clients access to emerging new opportunities. Our plans include a presence in cities with populations of over one million and the development of special conditions for the purchase of Lada cars on Wildberries," Avtovaz Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Dmitry Kostromin said.

Wildberries CEO Tatyana Bakalchuk said that with the development of the e-commerce industry, marketplace customers are accustomed to purchasing a wide range of goods online.

"Right now, a new trend is forming, with buyers ready to purchase cars in their usual online environment. Wildberries wants to lead this trend. Today, we are announcing the start of Lada sales on Wildberries together with the Avtovaz group. I'm glad that leading automakers also believe in the development of distribution through marketplaces and are ready to invest in this segment," Bakalchuk said.