Car sales increase in Romania but domestic production declines in January

The total vehicle sales in Romania, which include both passenger cars and commercial vehicles, reached 6,600 units last month, up by 19% compared to January 2015. This has been the highest sales volume registered in January in the past seven years (2010 to 2016), according to the local Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association – APIA. The passenger car sales went up by 13.8%, to over 5,100 units, while commercial vehicle sales increased by almost 40%. Some 88% of the new passenger cars sold in January were purchased by companies. Dacia sold 1,258 passenger cars in January, down by 6.5% compared to the same month of last year, but maintained its first place with almost a quarter of the total market. Volkswagen came second, with 621 cars sold (up by 36%), and Skoda was third, with 563 units (u by 8.7%). Ford also increased its sales by 41%, to 457 units. Seat and Mercedes saw the highest increases, of about 70%, selling around 190 units each. The domestic car production slowed down to some 30,800 units, down 9% year-on-year. Car producer Dacia maintained its production at a similar level to January 2015, but Ford produced 40% fewer B-Max cars at the Craiova plant. The car exports dropped by 15.2% to under 27,000 units, more than half of which were Dacia Dusters (14,500 units, up by 5.8% year-on-year). New car sales in Romania up by 16% in 2015 editor@romania-insider.com