Low number of customers for car dealers ahead of scrappage scheme

Vehicle sales to individuals fell significantly in February, because they are waiting for the car scrappage scheme, which has been delayed for the third time until March 20th, with the market now exclusively relying on firms.
The auto market went up by nearly 23% in the first two months of this year, to over 10,500 vehicles, according to players on the market. The over 20% increase comes amid a higher rise recorded in January, when the market went up by 25%, while in February the rise amounted to 11%.
"The February result is almost exclusively accounted for by sales to corporate entities, with individual clients still awaiting the scrappage scheme," said Fabrice Cambolive, sole manager of Renault-Nissan Romania, importer of the two brands on the Romanian market. The 11% market increase recorded in February, to almost 5,100 vehicles, comes in the context where the 2010 scrappage scheme ended at the end of January, while the 2011 scheme is set to start at the end of March, according to previous statements from Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely.