New passenger car sales in Romania went up by 9.4% in the first four months of this year compared to the same period of 2015, reaching 28,000 units. Meanwhile, the local car production went down by 6.4% year-on-year on lower domestic sales and exports, according to the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA).

The domestic car sales, which include the Dacia brand and the Ford B-Max model, went down by almost 20% in the first four months, to 7,132 units. The import car sales, on the other hand, increased by 25% year-on-year, to 20,861 units.

Local producer Dacia maintained its leader position although it sold 17% fewer cars compared to January-April 2015. Dacia’s sales totaled 7,752 units and represented 28% of the total.

Volkswagen was the best-selling import brand, with 3,059 units, up by a third (32.3%) compared to the same period of 2015. Skoda came next with 2,941 cars sold and a16.6% increase. Ford’s sales stagnated at 1,870 units and Renault’s sales went up by 17.6%, to 1,787 units.

Premium car brands Mercedes-Benz and BMW saw the highest sale increases in the top 10. Mercedes-Benz sold almost 950 units, 49% more than in the first four months of 2015, while BMW increased its sales by 55%, to 764 units, making it to the top 10.

The sales of hybrid and electric cars more than doubled in the first four months compared to the same period of 2015, reaching 192 units. The increase may accelerate due to the Government’s support program for electric car purchases.

The diesel car sales went up by only 1.2% while the petrol car sales surged by 21%. The evolution reflects the higher diesel prices compared to gasoline prices, but may also be due to the diesel emissions scandal.

The total sales of motor vehicles went up by 14.4% in Romania in the first four months of the year, reaching 36,000 units. Commercial vehicle and bus sales totaled 8,060 units, up by 36% year-on-year.

Andrei Chirileasa, andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Dacia on Facebook)