Car sales down 46.3% in August

Car sales have plunged in August, a month when people spend less on purchasing items and more on holidays. The steep decline did not cancel out the solid growth rate of the first eight months, however. The data provided by the Association of Automotive Producers and Importers (APIA) shows sales to be down 46.3% from July, to 7,320 units. This brings the total to 84,425 units for the first eight moths, which accounts for a 28.7% leap. Most of the new car owners went for domestic brands, with Dacia sales increasing to 31,707 units between January – August, while Automobile Daewoo saw total sales of 17,830 units. Imports have performed better than the overall sector itself, with 34,782 units sold in the first eight months, up 32.3% from the same time in 2003. Renault remains the favourite imported brand, with the French carmaker selling 6,570 cars, 11.3% more than in the first eight months of last year. The second leading imported brand is again Skoda, due to its 4,712 units sold, up 16.5%. Peugeot sales reached 4,092 units, up 37.8% from the same time last year, which pushed it ahead of Volkswagen, now the fourth best-selling brand (3,745 units, 16.5% increase). ZF