Mazda moves to Romcar, manager sacked

Romcar, Ford general representative in Romania, member of the auto division of the tiriac Group has also become the importer of another Ford-controlled brand, the Japanese Mazda, this year.
The former importer, Mazrom Motors, which in its turn is a member of the tiriac Group, has now turned into a dealer, following the departure of executive manager Dan Niculescu last year.
“Mazda was supposed to sell 350 units in Romania in 2002, but sold only 275.” This is how Viorel Niculescu, general manager of Romcar, chose to explain the change in the Mazrom Motors management.
The former executive says the goal was too bold anyway. “The trend at the time of my departure (October 1 i.e.) was below the target set early in the year, but nevertheless it was caused by a series of factors,” Dan Niculescu says.
“On the one hand, it was the delay in the deliveries from our partners and the insufficient amount of those deliveries, especially when it comes to Mazda 6. Anyway, they had three more months to attain the goal from the moment I left, considering these are the best months of the year for car sales,” Dan Niculescu said.
The organisational structure has Romcar as importer of the two Ford brands only, with the distribution falling upon dealers. The dealer network will therefore comprise Romcar Service for Ford and Mazrom Motors for Mazda, as well as the “Auto Houses” in Brasov, Cluj, Oradea and Timisoara, members of the same tiriac Group.
“The auto houses are now selling the entire range of vehicles imported by the tiriac Group (Mercedes, Ford, Mazda, Hyundai, Chrysler i.e.),” Romcar’s head specified.
Romcar’s 2003 goal is attaining a 6% share of the imported vehicle market for Ford and 1% for Mazda.
“This would entail, as our market growth estimates show, selling 2,500-2,800 Fords and some 400 Mazdas,” Viorel Niculescu added.
Romcar last year sold 2,200 cars in Romania and posted 30 million euros in turnover. Mazrom Motors sold 275 cars and posted 9 million-euro turnover.