Romania's new automotive sales up 6.3 pct in Q1

Romania's new automotive sales were up 6.3 pct in Q1 2019 compared to the same period last year, standing at 38,253 units, the Association of Automotive Manufacturers and Importers (APIA) said in release on Tuesday. The market analysis shows that domestic sales are further mainly supported by legal entities that account for 72 pct of the total car purchases in the first three months of 2019. Romania's flagship car maker Dacia tops the brand ranking (cars + commercial vehicles) with 9,008 units sold, followed by Volkswagen (3,718) and Ford (3,449). Dacia also holds No. 1 spot in the hierarchy of car sales, with 8,218 units (26.4 pct market share, down 4.3 pct from 2018), followed by Volkswagen with 3,230 units (10.4 pct market share), Skoda (2,629 units and 8.4 pct of the market), Ford (2,485 units and 8 pct) and Renault (2,428 units and 7.8 pct). By the country of origin, Romania accounts for 25.8 percent of the cars sold on the domestic market, followed by Germany - 21.9 pct, the Czech Republic (10.9 pct), Turkey (9.1 pct) and Spain (7.5 pct). Car sales from the domestic production were 3.6 pct down in Q1 from the same period of 2018, while import car sales increased by 9.1 pct. APIA data reveals that 110,308 used cars were registered in Q1, by 8.6 pct less than in 2018 and with an improved age structure, given the considerable decrease of 14.9 pct in the number of cars more than 12 years of age. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Badea, editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)

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