Dealers: left-hand drive cars’ sales, prices dramatically plunge

KABUL (Pajhwok): Car dealers in Kabul say the sales and prices of left-hand drive cars have plunged dramatically in Afghanistan after the government announced issuing documents to right hand drive vehicles.

Haji Wafa, the head of the car dealers’ association in Kabul, told Pajhwok after the announcement, left-hand drive car market became bearish.

He added: “Even a small thing in business can have a great effect and in this decision, no attention was paid to the problems of car dealers.”

He said previously each car dealer would sell up to three cars a week, but now they could not sell even one in a week.

He said previously a 2010 model Corolla was sold for $8000, but after the announcement, its price plunged to about $5,500.

According to Haji Wafa, a 2012 model Corolla was previously sold for about $9000, but now its price hovered near $6000.

Similarly, Mirwais, another car dealer in Kabul, also said after the announcement of issuing documents to one-key cars, the Afghanistan hand drive car business had been affected.

He says: “One-key cars are sold in the market for about $2000 and they are also new, so why should people buy left-hand drive cars, that’s why our sales have decreased a lot.”

He said he used to sell up to three cars a week, but now he could not sell even one in a week.

According to Mirwais, the 2007 model Corolla used to sell for around $8,000 dollars, but now no one buys it for even 5,000 dollars.

He urged the government to support the businessmen and not to issue documents to Pakistan hand one-key vehicles.

Another car seller, Abdul Sattar Mirzai, told Pajhwok the government’s decision to issue documents to left-hand drive vehicles had badly affected the right-hand drive vehicles’ business.

He said that after the political change in the country, the car market improved somehow recently, but deteriorated again with the recent decision.

Many other car dealers also made similar complaints and requested the government to pay attention to their problems.

Pajhwok tried to have the Traffic Department’s opinion on the matter, but received no response despite many attempts.

Last month, the General Department of Traffic said it would issue three-year temporary documents to undocumented one key vehicles in order to prevent crimes traffic disorder and maintain public order

It should be noted that in the previous government, stickers were given to one-key or manual cars for a temporary period.

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