Hybrid cars demand grows in Georgia (Exclusive)

Toyota Caucasus, a regional distributor of Toyota and Lexus in Georgia, is planning to offer its services in Batumi in the near future, Irina Magradze, representative of Toyota Caucasus, told Trend in an interview.

"As the representative office in the region, we have two official dealers in Georgia, which sell new cars and provide services. Both are located in Tbilisi. In the near future, we plan to open a licensed service office in Batumi; however, there will not be sales of new cars. The regional official representation of the service center in Batumi is opening for the first time," Magradze said.

According to her, one of the most popular products in Georgia today is Land Cruiser 200 and Land Cruiser Prado. Large SUVs are also very popular. In her words, there is a real hybrid boom in the market both among new cars and used cars.

As the representative of the Company noted, the majority of used cars are imported from America, and customs clearance is cheaper. In Georgia, fuel consumption is also very relevant, and the Prius began to earn popularity very quickly. Today, Toyota is the most popular brand, because along with new technologies, it is characterized by quality and reliability, reflected in the famous "Toyota QDR" - Quality, Durability, Reliability.

Speaking about the specifics and trends in the field of imported cars in Georgia, Irina Magrazde noted: "In Georgia, imported cars are exempt from VAT. And since 2016, customs clearance of hybrid cars is two times cheaper. Today, the difference between a petrol diesel car and a hybrid is 60 percent. Thus, for the hybrid customs clearance, you pay only 40 percent of the amount you would have paid if the car were gasoline or diesel."

According to her, the introduction of this law primarily affected the used cars in Georgia, as the country import used cars from Europe, America and Japan. Also, due to the increase in customs clearance for right-hand drive cars, left-hand drive cars are in high demand today.

Toyota Caucasus, the regional distributor of Toyota and Lexus, was founded in January 2006 and began operations in April of the same year at the head office in Tbilisi. Toyota Caucasus is responsible for the development of the business of Toyota and Lexus in 3 countries of the Caucasus. The main role of the company is to supply new cars, original accessories and spare parts for Toyota and Lexus, as well as to conduct marketing activities and trainings for its dealers in the region covered.