New car sales increase by over 20% in Romania in the first quarter

New vehicle sales in Romania increased by 20.3% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2017, reaching almost 36,000 units, according to data released by the Car Manufacturers and Importers Association – APIA. Passenger car sales recorded an even higher growth, of 26.1%, to 29,531 units, while commercial vehicle sales went down by 0.6%, to 6,462 units. Local brand Dacia continues to top the ranking, with close to 8,600 passenger cars sold in the first quarter, resulting in a market share of 29.1%. Its sales were 41% higher than in the same period of 2017. Volkswagen was second, with close to 3,400 units sold and 11.5% market share, followed by Skoda, with 2,740 units (9.3% market share). Ford and Renault completed the top 5. Petrol cars reached a market share of almost 55% in the first quarter, compared to 45.7% in the same period of last year, while the share of diesel cars dropped to 42.9%. The share of electric and hybrid cars in total sales went up to 2.2%, from 1.7% in the first three months of 2017. Electric and hybrid cars sales reached 661 units, up 62% year-on-year. A total of 201 electric cars were sold in the first three months, compared to only 41 in the same period of last year. editor@romania-insider.com