Michael Grewe, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Romania, believes the Romanian state should provide support to the businesses of the two manufacturers (Dacia and Ford), while importers merely ask that the state do "not make things worse."
"The Romanian car market has been affected by several factors over the last few months, not just by the international financial crisis. The problems in Romania existed before the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The progression of the exchange rate, the decline of the real estate market were among the main factors that affected the automotive market, alongside the problem surrounding the pollution tax, via which the Government sent a message of uncertainty to the population," said Michael Grewe, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Romania, importer on the Romanian market of the brands of the Daimler and Chyrsler groups, a company in which businessman Ion Tiriac holds 49% of the shares, while German group Daimler holds 51%.
In fact, the Mercedes-Benz executive says companies in the auto sector do not need state aid, and only wish that it "would not make things worse."
"No government has enough funds at present to make the financial crisis go away. Every time a sector of the economy receives support, another one needs support, as well. For the sake of competitiveness, it would be best if the State did not intervene in the economy, because the question arises why one sector is aided, while another is not. The only two exceptions in the auto industry are Dacia and Ford, which need to be supported," said Grewe.
The premium segment of the auto market was affected only towards the end of 2008, with both Mercedes-Benz and Audi seeing a decline in volumes compared with the previous year, by 21% and 11% respectively, while in the first two months of this year, the luxury brands declined by up to 50%.
On the other hand, it has become obvious since the beginning of the year that the business people's diminished fortune, due to the decline in the price of housing and to the Stock Exchange decline "has significantly influenced the decision to buy a premium automobile."
"Customers of premium automobiles are business people who have shares, real estate property, and whose fortunes have been affected by the progression of the economy. Traditional customers have the money to acquire a Mercedes-Benz, but put off the acquisition due to a lack of confidence in the current state of the economy," Grewe said. According to the head of Mercedes-Benz, whereas in 2008, one in five customers, who made a test-drive in a showroom ended up acquiring the car, now only one in 25 decides to buy it. "The car is good, the price is good, but the customer puts off making a decision," Michael Grewe said.
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