Japanese car brands account for 10% of the car sales in Eastern Europe, while the share of such cars stands at about 30% in the US. According to the Association of Car Importers and Producers from Romania (APIA), the Japanese brands hold some 5% of the total sales of imported new cars on the Romanian market.
The share of Japanese cars on the Romanian car market may seem ridiculously low at the first sight, as the French or German cars account for one third of the market each.
But these brands currently benefit from 6% customs duties (except for Skoda, which is customs duties exempt). The customs tax stand at 30% for the Japanese cars, so, from this point of view one can say that the share of Japanese cars is quite high.
According to the market analysts, there are more explanations for the low level of Japanese car sales on the Romanian market.
"First of all, it is the tradition on the Romanian market. Romanians are especially fond of German cars," Marius Carp, APIA executive director said. "This is obvious on the second hand market, where 9 out of 10 cars are German ones," Carp added.
Importers also suggest that the market is hardly aware of the Japanese cars. "We entered the market at the end of last year," Dan Niculescu, general manager of Mazrom, general representative of Mazda in Romania said. Mazrom plans to sell 200 cars this year, with 120 units having been delivered so far.
One possible shortcoming of the Japanese cars is the high prices. The customs duties for the imported Japanese cars stand at 30%, while the cars imported from EU countries are levied 6% customs tax. Moreover, the cars imported from CEFTA countries, such as Skoda, are customs duties exempt.
The gap between customs taxes levied on cars imported from EU countries and on those imported from the rest of the world is closing due to the leasing. The customs taxes for the cars purchased through leasing are paid according to the residual value, which generally stands at 20%.
"While only about one half of Renault cars are purchased through leasing, this share stands at about 100% in the case of Japanese cars," Carp specified.
One of the most important obstacles encountered by the Japanese cars so far has been the poorly developed territorial network of the importers, along with the modest marketing conditions and high prices. The lack of spare parts due to the low sales reflects in the high prices.
"Until the recent moment when the importers reorganised, the cars were brought through the trade companies, which led to high end prices," Carp specified.
Importers have recently cut part of the links of the distribution chain, so they currently benefit from a higher market penetration power.
"We offer a complete product to the clients, including guarantee, quality service and a department selling spare parts and accessories, in addition to the car itself," said Dan Niculescu, general manager of Mazrom, which plans to become market leader among importers of Japanese imported.
The leader of the off-road utility vehicle market at the moment is Nissan, which, according to its officials, "plans to maintain in the top ten best-selling car brands in Romania and to keep on being the off-road utility vehicle brand in highest demand".
Nissan Romania intends to sell more than 500 cars by the end of this year, up 25% compared with last year, when 337 units were sold.
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