Ahead of the New Year, car dealers in Kazakhstan are expected to reduce prices on locally assembled vehicles. This year, Kazakhstan’s automotive manufacturing plants plan to produce 191,000 vehicles. The country’s largest automotive plants are located in Kostanay and Almaty.
“Now, towards the end of the year, discounts will be available in November and December,” Minister of Industry and Construction Yersayin Nagaspayev recently stated at a government briefing.
According to the Minister, towards the end of the year, consumers tend to shift their preference to vehicles from the upcoming model year, resulting in lower demand for models from the outgoing model year.
Prices of Locally Assembled Vehicles Decline
According to Nagaspayev, prices for vehicles assembled in Kazakhstan have already fallen by 10–11% in recent years. The Minister attributes this trend to increased production volumes and competition among automotive manufacturers.
Industry experts note that discounts have already been introduced on the Chevrolet Cobalt, Kazakhstan’s best-selling car. The locally assembled sedan is currently available for 5.9–6.2 million tenge.
As recently as autumn, the 2026 Chevrolet Cobalt was priced at 6.49 million tenge or more at authorised dealerships.
Cars Are Losing Value Like Smartphones
Cars are increasingly resembling smartphones in terms of depreciation. Much like an iPhone, a vehicle begins to lose value immediately after purchase, while the launch of a new model year puts additional downward pressure on prices for the previous year’s models.
A new vehicle may lose 20–30% of its value within the first few months. Manufacturers are increasingly designing certain components with a limited service life, meaning that new vehicles are unlikely to remain in service for decades, as many sedans manufactured in the 1990s have.
Meanwhile, the Changan CS55 Plus crossover was the best-selling Chinese vehicle in Kazakhstan last year. It is currently available for 8.5 million tenge. In spring, the starting price of the second-generation crossover stood at 9.89 million tenge. The price difference exceeds 1 million tenge.
Consumers remain more cautious when purchasing used Chinese vehicles. Online listings for these cars attract as much attention as those for Korean and Japanese vehicles; however, prospective buyers are less likely to call or message sellers.
