Auto market in October: 335 cars sold every day compared with 900 units last year

17 nov 2009 Autor: Bogdan Alecu

Vehicle sales amounted to a little more than 12,000 units in October, down 50% compared with the same time last year, players on the automotive market say.

The same growth pace was registered on the car market, which reached 10,400 units in October (335 cars a day), compared with 28,000 cars (907 a day), during the same period in 2008.

If sales maintain the 50% decline pace in November and December, as well, the total car market would reach 135,000 units in 2009, half of what it was last year.

"I don't see sales of more than 130,000 cars this year. The best case scenario would have sales reach 135,000 cars, but any more than that is highly unlikely," said Constantin Stroe, vice-president of Automobile Dacia and chairman of the Association of Carmakers in Romania.

The automotive market reached 126,000 vehicles in the first ten months of this year, down 56% compared with the same time last year. New car registrations reached 7,572 cars in October, down 72% compared with the same time last year, according to the Vehicle Registration and Driving Licenses Department (DRCPIV) statistics.

"There remains a visible gap between registrations and sales reported as actually completed. The re-exports of cars started in the first half of the year are still being carried out," said Alin Tapalaga, general manager of Porsche Inter Auto, the retail division of Porsche Romania, the biggest importer on the domestic market.

The difference between the cars registered in Romania and those in the official statistics stands at more than 17,000 cars.

Even so, dealers say a slight increase in sales was noticed in October, which continued in November, as well, dealers in Bucharest say, compared with the previous months, though. In November, dealers estimate sales will be comparable to the same month of last year, when they stood at some 14,000 cars.