The used car agency on 20th Street, between 3rd and 1st Avenues, in the municipality of Playa, Havana, awoke to a line of fifty people. They were impatiently waiting for a batch of currency shopping carts to arrive next Monday. Despite the stratospheric prices, there is already a waiting list to buy them.
“They’ve been arguing in line there since I arrived a few minutes ago,” he says 14ymedio a user who came to view the models. “They have a very detailed squad list because some want to buy up to two cars. They’re waiting for some to come in, but the battle is for the Renault Talisman and the Geely CK,” he explains.
At the agency, which is owned by the Cimex corporation, by the military conglomerate Gaesa, and has a monopoly on car sales in the country, there are only a few “dilapidated cars” that buyers currently don’t see. “The whole discussion is for those who participate, so they already make two lists, one for each model,” the man says.
“You can go with confidence, my brother, on this list I score everyone,” shouts one man at the top of the line, to another who wanted to step out of the line for a few minutes and come back later. .
“They have a very detailed shift because some want to buy up to two cars. They are waiting for some to participate, but the battle is for the Renault Talisman and the Geely CK”
According to the store’s management, the cars currently on sale are the Chinese Geely CK, for $ 32,000, and two models from the French brand Peugeot: a Partner for $ 63,971 and a 508 for $ 72,000. The coveted Renault was not on the list.
“There in that block the ticket rings, the tickets really ring,” says a joking neighbor walking down the sidewalk in front of the parking lot.
Until February 2020, the cars were sold in CUC, but then Cimex changed sales to freely convertible currency (MLC) to include approximately 30 models, with retail prices ranging from $ 34,000 to $ 90,000.
According to the agency, the new prices had a 10% discount and the cars had to be paid in one go and via a magnetic card.
Since the start of this new marketing method, there have been customer complaints about mechanical defects discovered after paying an astronomical price.
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