Renault Romania, the local branch of the French producer, sold more than 25,000 vehicles in the three years since it has been operational on the Romanian market, ranking first among imported brands.
"In spite of the fluctuations we've seen on the Romanian automotive market, Renault has constantly grown, considering that it sold 706 units in 1999 and 10,086 units in 2003. At present, about one in five imported vehicles sold on the Romanian market is a Renault," Renault Romania's chief executive Nicholas Ianculescu stated.
He added the result was due to the sales policy the French carmaker promoted on the Romanian market, as well as the prices maintained by Renault on this market since the Bucharest Auto Show in 1999.
The expansion of the dealer network was yet another factor mentioned by Renault Romania's representatives. Renault Romania's dealer network has grown from 18 in 2001 to 26 this year. Out of the 26, 12 are tri-brand dealers (Renault/Nissan/Dacia), 9 are dual-brand dealers (Renault/Nissan or Renault/Dacia) and 5 are single-brand dealers (Renault only). "The network will keep growing in the next few years to 30 dealers," Renault Romania representatives estimate.
Renault remained the top-selling imported brand after the first five months of this year. Nearly 4,400 Renault vehicles were sold in the first five months of 2004, according to the statistics of the Association of Vehicle Producers and Importers in Romania (APIA). The same goes for the best-selling models. Renault Clio and Renault Megane occupy the top two spots in this regard, with 1,780 and 1,665 units sold respectively in the first five months of the year.
Renault Romania released two new models, Scenic II and Clio Generation 2004, with Grand Scenic and the Megane II break models scheduled to be launched in the second half of the year.
Renault Romania has also been importing and distributing the Nissan brand since early 2003. This move is part of the Renault-Nissan alliance by which the better-positioned brand in a specific country helps the other up.
ionut.bonoiu@zf.ro
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