Volkswagen invests 25m euros to expand network

Volkswagen, a brand represented by Porsche Romania, the biggest player on the car market, is set to add three new centres to its network this year, in Piatra Neamt, Targoviste and Constanta, according to the company’s officials. “Total investments in the three new centres in Piatra Neamt, Targoviste and Constanta top 25m euros,” said Matei Albulescu, brand manager of VW. At present, Volkswagen network includes 28 authorised centres. In the first four months of this year, VW car sales went down by 43% from the same period of last year, to 3,616 units, in the context where the import car market fell by 48%. The brand’s market share rose from 7.1% to 8.1%. “In 2009, we plan to reach a 9% market share. An exact volume cannot be set, yet, due to market trend (…),” Albulescu said. The best-selling Volkswagen model domestically in the first four months of this year is Golf, with 1,172 units, down 25% from the same period of last year, followed by Jetta, with 1,100 cars, down 44%, and Passat, with 1,084 units, down 37%. In the case of VW utility vehicles, the decline was deeper, in the context where the market shrank by over 70%.