Car brands bringing most contracts to leasing companies

Dacia, Volkswagen, Opel and Ford brought the most contracts to leasing companies in the first four months of this year, according to the latest statistics of the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA). However, for most brands, the number of cars sold under a leasing agreement amounts to half of sales recorded in the January – April 2008 period at best, amid a significant decline of the auto market. This has also affected leasing companies, for whom car finance is the main business. Dacia sold 1,960 cars in leasing in the first four months of the year, compared with 5,200 in the same period of last year, Volkswagen – 1,331 compared with 2,500 in January-April of 2008, Opel – 1,118 – a threefold decline, Ford – 1.023, twice as few, and Renault – 1,003, one third of the sales recorded in the similar period of 2008.