Romanian car market will reach 130,000 units this year

New car sales in Romania will total 130,000 units this year, up 16% over 2016, according to Porsche Romania estimates, cited by Economica.net. The market for light commercial vehicles is expected to rise to 22,500 units, up 10% year-on-year. In 2018, the new vehicle market is estimated to go up by over 10%, Porsche Romania general manager Brent Valmar said. Porsche Romania is the biggest car importer on the local market as Volkswagen and Skoda are among the best-selling brands in Romania. The sales of new motor vehicles went up by 11.6% in Romania in the first eight months of this year compared to the same period last year reaching over 96,600 units, according to the Romanian Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA). The sales of new passenger cars registered a 14.5% growth during this period amounting to over 80,800 units. In August, registrations of new motor vehicles totaled about 12,200 units. On the other side, the sales of used cars amounted to 338,000 units between January and August, five times higher than new car sales. Romania’s car market saw a decrease of 70% during the economic crisis. editor@romania-insider.com