Demand for foreign cars eats into Dacia sales

Sales of new cars in Romania rose by 22.4% in the first seven months of this year, to 177,685 units, compared with the same period in 2006, according to statistical data released by the Association of Car Producers and Importers (APIA). Against the first half of the year, when car sales increased by 24.6%, market growth slowed by approximately 2%. For the overall market, APIA data measured a total increase of 23.3% during the January-July 2007 period, with cumulated sales of cars, commercial vehicles and buses reaching 206,089 units. Imported cars, which account for the most important market segment, supported market growth with a 53.3% higher rate of sales against the first seven months of last year. Thus, in late July, sales of foreign cars reached almost 109,000, up from 71,000 units in 2006. While imports advanced by over 50%, sales of domestically produced cars witnessed a reverse trend. As a result, the demand for domestically produced cars dropped by 7.1%, as sales fell to 68,878 units. Domestic sales of Dacia dropped by 4.1% between January and July, from 60,537 units to 58,037 units.