Half of Kia and Hyundai cars re-exported

More than half the sales of the Korean brands Kia and Hyundai recorded on the Romanian market in 2009 are not to be found in registration statistics, according to a ZF comparison between data on the auto market and the report of the Drivers' Licence and Vehicle Registration Department. Hyundai, a brand whose import is handled by Tiriac Holdings, which became the best-selling import brand last year with almost 11,000 cars sold, shows up with a slightly more than 5,000 cars in the car registration statistics. Company representatives did not wish to comment on this difference. In the case of Kia, the difference between registrations and sales reported was even higher. Whilst car sales reported amounted to 6,145 units last year, fewer than 30% of them were registered. Officials of the importer did not comment on that, either. In the context of the financial crisis and of the fall of the auto market by up to 60%, dealers and importers preferred to export car stocks to Western Europe even at a loss in order to get cash. "They preferred to export them, because in Romania they did not sell at all. Cars were not produced in South Korea for two months, which led to a rise in demand in Europe for Korean brands," said Nicolae Sorescu, general manager of Radacini Motors, Opel and Chevrolet dealer.