New site aims to serve as a guide for baffling car sales in Cuba

New site aims to serve as a guide for baffling car sales in Cuba
ABEL FERNÁNDEZ
Staff@InCubaToday.com

Trying to buy a car in Cuba can be as vexing as finding your way through
a maze at night.

So a young Havana entrepreneur has decided to put some order to car
sales in his homeland with a new site that allows users to browse for
specific models, brands and years either on a computer or a smartphone.

Cubans willing to sell their cars can place an ad in AutoCubana.com.
Launched last week, it is the first free classifieds website exclusively
for the sale of cars on the island.

And although the astronomical prices of the cars listed on the site — up
to 95,000 CUC (about $ 95,000) for a 2014 Audi — seems outrageous in a
country where the official average median salary is about $25 a month,
it's creator is betting on a sector of the population he says has strong
purchasing power.

"These are crazy prices, but those are the market prices in Cuba," said
Nelson Rodríguez, 32, a University of Havana graduate in computer
science. "In Cuba, an upper-middle class has emerged that can afford
those prices. Some people are doing well with their businesses here, and
others are doing well with their business here and in Miami."

Rodríguez, who developed the project with an Australian partner, said
that he does not charge a commission from transactions that result from
a posting on the site. Currently, there is no license available on the
island to work as a private dealer or a car sales broker like the one
available for real estate agents, he said.

There also is no fee for posting a sale announcement on the site. Car
sellers can upload the information and photos of the vehicle on their own.

The AutoCubana.com business model plan is to sell future ad space to
private businesses with ties to transportation, Rodríguez said.

"This is the first phase. We want to give private businesses the
opportunity to benefit first; private businesses like car washes,
mechanics, taxi drivers and the like can advertise on the website," he said.

Most of the cars running in the streets of Havana are American models
built before 1959. The so-called almendrones are rumbling relics that
have become an icon of the island and grabbed the attention of foreign
visitors.

But at the end of 2013, the government of Raúl Castro lifted
restrictions requiring Cubans to get special permits to buy cars, and
the circulation of more modern cars has proliferated.

Nonetheless, the government has maintained a monopoly on the import and
sale of modern cars with a tax of almost 100 percent of the price tag.

Before the regulations, Cubans could only buy and sell vehicles that
were built before 1959. To buy a modern car from a government-owned
dealership, even at staggering prices, Cubans had to get approval from
the government and obtain a carta (an official letter) authorizing the
purchase by those deemed worthy, including doctors, artists, athletes
and others.

So, how do these almendrones list for on AutoCubana? The prices for the
classic cars range from $15,000 to $50,000, depending on the car's state
of conservation.

A more modern car, like a Russian-made Lada, can list for $20,000. A
2006 Hyundai Accent has a price tag of $27,500, more than seven times
its price in the United States.

So far, the new site only works for residents of Havana, but Rodríguez
hopes to soon spread the service to the other 15 provinces. And although
currently the primary focus is to serve Cubans on the island, Rodríguez
expects foreigners will also be able to buy the coveted relics at some
point in the future.

"With this platform, we don't want to make a new car sales business, but
to open a door to what already exists," Rodríguez said.

Source: New New auto classifieds site aims to make sense of car sales in
Cuba | In Cuba Today - http://www.incubatoday.com/news/article104536241.html