New cars sales up by 6.3% in Q1

The sales of new cars in Romania increased by 6.3% in the first quarter of 2019, as compared to the same period of the previous year, up to 38,253 units, according to the figures released on Tuesday by the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers (APIA).

In this context, the market analysis shows that sales at the national level are mainly supported by legal entities, covering 72% of total purchases of cars made in the first three months of 2019. However, the number of cars purchased by natural persons in these first three months (8,606 units) is by 2.2% lower than in the same period of the previous year (8,799 units).

“In Q1 2019, 6.3% more vehicles were sold, i.e. 38,253 units, of which 31,174 were cars, up by 5.6%, and 7,079 commercial vehicles (up by 9.5%),” the communiqué reads.

In the top by brands (cars and commercial vehicles) Dacia is first – with 9,008 units, followed by Volkswagen (3,718) and Ford (3,449). At the same time, in the cars hierarchy by brand first ranks Dacia, with 8,218 units (26.4% market share, down by 4.3% against 2018), followed by Volkswagen – 3,230 units (10.4% market share), Skoda (2,629 units and 8.4% market share), Ford (2,485 units and 8% market share) and Renault (2,428 units and 7.8% market share).

By type of fuel, in Q1 2019 the petrol-powered passenger cars accounted for 65.8% of the total, significantly higher than their share in the first three months of 2018, of 54.8%.

According to APIA, 110,308 second hand cars were registered in the first three months of 2019, by 8.6% fewer than in 2018, but also by an improved age structure (those older than 12 years declining by 14.9%).