ZF English

Tăriceanu exits Citroën business

Autor: Bogdan Alecu

30.03.2011, 23:55 40

Călin Popescu Tăriceanu has completely given up sale of theCitroën brand, nearly 20 years after bringing the French brand toRomania, which propelled the former Romanian prime minister intothe forefront of the Romanian auto industry.

"The activity of Automotive Trading Services as far as theCitroën brand is concerned will continue in Băneasa with thebrand's servicing, but car sales will be dropped. The employees atthe Citroën showroom in Pipera will be relocated to the Băneasacentre," said Bogdan Bucurescu, general manager of AutomotiveTrading Services (ATS). The company 85% held by the former premierand 15% by Bogdan Bucurescu, continues to be a Ford dealer and animporter of Harley Davidson motorbikes. ATS is the first player inthe auto industry to completely drop a brand, after in 2007 it wentfrom being an importer to a dealer by taking over direct imports byCitroën Romania, and has now also given up sales operations, whilekeeping servicing operations. Călin Popescu Tăriceanu was notavailable for comment by edition close.

ATS recorded its best results in 2006, when the company postednearly 55 million euros in turnover and recorded an almost 3million-euro net profit, and sold over 3,500 cars as animporter.

The biggest exits in the auto market in the last few years camefrom Ion Ţiriac, who last year handed over imports of the Fordbrand to the imports division of Ford Romania, a company that holdsthe car plant in Craiova, and at the end of 2009 sold the 49% stakein Mercedes-Benz Romania to Daimler AG. In both cases, however,Ţiriac remained dealer of the two brands through ŢiriacAuto retailchain.

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