Shipping prices for vehicles imported from China have surged sharply in recent weeks, with transport costs rising by almost 100 percent, industry representatives say.
According to KhazarTV, cars that previously cost around $1,500 to ship are now being transported for $2,700–$2,900, depending on the company. The spike is most visible in the logistics segment for China-origin vehicles, which dominate Azerbaijan’s import market.
Ilgar Aliyev, head of a company importing and selling cars from China, told reporters that demand typically rises toward the end of the year – a trend that some transport companies are exploiting by artificially inflating prices.
However, Eyyub Aliyev, chairman of the Automobile Dealers Association of Azerbaijan, points to broader global factors: rising container-shipping rates worldwide, congestion at key ports, and higher internal logistics costs inside China. All of these, he argues, are contributing to the growing expenses.
Experts warn that the surge in logistics costs will inevitably affect retail prices. Even if cars are imported and sold before the end of the current tax-break period, the added shipping expenses will be pushed onto consumers. Analysts expect logistics prices – and by extension, car prices – to stabilize early next year if global pressure on shipping routes eases.
