Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service is considering taking legal action against the distributors and dealers of ŠKODA, Hyundai, KIA, JAGUAR, Land Rover, and Ford automobiles and of AUDI, ŠKODA, and Volkswagen car parts, the Service’s press officer reports.

Having looked into the existing relations between the distributors and the dealing and maintenance centers, the FAS stated that many of the distributors make their partners combine the selling and the after-sales services, which makes it difficult for the existing independent maintenance centers to enter the market: in order to get the status of an authorized maintenance center and provide warranty services, these centers have to invest a lot of money in the construction of dealership outlets. As a result, the Russian regions, where demand is high, suffer from the shortage of car maintenance services, which badly affects both the quality and the price of these services.