RUSSIA: GOVERNMENT BEGINS SELLING ITS FLEET OF FOREIGN MADE CARS

Описание: (20 Jun 1997) Russian/Nat

Seeking to present itself as austere and budget conscious, the Russian government began selling off its fleet of flashy imported cars on Friday.

Seven cars came under the hammer and all but two were sold to eager buyers - the proceeds are earmarked for cheaper, less glamorous Volga sedans made at home.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov - who introduced a ban on state bureaucrats driving in foreign-made cars - was on hand to see the cars go up for auction.

The first seven cars from the Russian government's huge fleet of foreign-made vehicles went under the hammer on Friday.

All but two (correct) were snapped up - mostly by wealthy Russian businessmen.

The former owners - government bureaucrats - will now have to be content with Russian models.

The Moscow auction was the first in a series planned by a government keen on encouraging domestic car production.

The idea to force Russian bureaucrats to drive home-made cars belongs to Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov.

He was present at the auction and pronounced himself highly satisfied with the result - the cars fetched between 18 and 30-thousand U-S dollars each.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"Only one car hasn't been sold today. I think the result is brilliant. Besides, the unsold car will be offered at another auction, then at another until it is sold."
SUPER CAPTION: Boris Nemtsov, First Deputy Prime Minister

Among the cars up for grabs was one that belonged to minister Aman Tuleyev and another one that once belonged to Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin's doctor.

In government circles, Nemtsov's initiative has sparked off controversy - locally produced cars are after all of much inferior quality.

Yet most Muscovites support the idea, if only because they hate bureaucrats.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"Since the government is the face of the nation, its members should drive Russian-made cars. It's another thing that Russian cars should be improved to match foreign-made models. Of course, many years will pass before that happens."
SUPER CAPTION: Igor Khaletsky, businessman

Another type of car exhibition was held on the opposite side of Moscow.

Hundreds of Russians gathered to enjoy a collection of classic cars, both foreign and domestic.

On view was one of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev's Russian-made limousines - even though he also had a penchant for Cadillacs.

But given a choice, most Russians would prefer foreign-made cars, even old second-hand models.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"Two wheels came off my new Russian-made car after seven thousand kilometers. It's better to buy a car which has done 120-thousand kilometres in Germany than a new car produced in Russia."
SUPER CAPTION: Nikita Zubov, Volkswagen enthusiast

Nemtsov might succeed in forcing bureaucrats out of foreign-made automobiles.

But the hearts of most Russians still belong to the sleeker, sturdier and more economic Western models.

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