Sales of cars on the domestic market fell 8.2% in April compared with the previous month due to the decline in deliveries of locally made vehicles and the increase in the number of imported cars, the Association of Automotive Manufacturers and Importers (APIA) data show. April saw a total of 11,186 sales of Romanian made cars, down from 13,314 in March, while imports rose from 7,529 units to 7,949 units.
The growth in sales of Romanian made cars for the first four months of the year compared with the same period in 2004 fell to 78.1%, down from 79.4% at the end of March. The sales volume reached 41,675 units.
On the other hand, sales of imported cars grew by 69.3% compared with the first four months of 2004 to 25,760 units, with growth three points higher over the same period.
Despite the slowdown in sales of locally made cars, the figures for the first four months account for nearly half of what was seen for the whole of 2004 (86,955 units).
The total market, including both imports and domestic output, grew by 74.6% in the first four months to 67,435 units, despite the 8.2% decline in April, when sales fell to 19,135 units.
Sales of cars made by Automobile Dacia in Romania rose to 32,941 units in the first four months, giving the company a 48.8% market share. The other local manufacturer, Daewoo Romania, sold 8,722 cars, meaning a 12.9% market share at the end of April.
The best-selling imported brands in the same January-April period were Renault with 5,355 units, Skoda, 3,812 units, Volkswagen, 3,028 and Peugeot, 2,776.
The commercial vehicle market saw no decline, with sales rising by 27.8% to 3,967 units in April and a four-month increase of 22.7% to reach a total of 11,649 units.
Bus sales were the fastest growing of all, however, growing 55.9% in April and 135.9% since the beginning of the year to a total of 651 units.
ionut.bonoiu@zf.ro
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