Romania: New Car Market Drops 10% in the First Seven Months of 2011

Sales of new vehicles in Romania dropped by 10.5% to 61,080 units in the first seven months of this year compared to the same period of last year, with passenger vehicle deliveries dropping by 15% to 52,249 units, the Association of Auto Producers and Importers (APIA) informs, being quoted by Mediafax. According to APIA, the main causes for the decrease in sales are linked to the slow functioning of the local car scrappage scheme Rabla, the maintenance of VAT non-deductibility for corporate purchases of auto vehicles and the lack of financing opportunities for people who are looking to buy a new car.

Local manufacturer Dacia ranked first in sales with 15,278 units sold in the first seven months (representing a market share of 29%), followed by Volkswagen (5,501 units), Skoda (4,688 units), Renault (3,788 units) and Opel (2,989 units).

Romania’s vehicle exports saw a decrease of 7.7% y-o-y to a total of 179,465 units. Although the export of commercial vehicles grew by 5% to 14,165 units, export of passenger cars dropped by 8.7 % to 165,300 units.