Romanian carmakers saved by scrapping bonus

The scrapping bonus has led to a 56% increase in car sales in August against the corresponding period of last year, setting a new high for this year. The scrapping bonus programme, being run for the second time this year, has led to a significant increase in Romanian car sales (48% in July and 86% in August against the similar months of last year), according to data published by the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA). With almost 80,000 cars sold in the first eight months of the year, local manufactures managed for the first time to surpass the sales of 2005 (78,000 units), although having ended almost every single one of the first six months with poorer results than in the same time last year. Imports maintained their growth trend of the last five years, exceeding month after month the similar periods of last year.