Cefin: Commercial vehicles climb to 2.6bn euros

Cefin Romania, the local automotive division of the Italian group Cefin, the importer of the Iveco brand, estimates the market of commercial vehicles will grow by 30% this year, to around 2.6 billion euros, while total sales exceeded 2 billion euros last year, after around 29,000 units were sold. “In terms of value, the overall market stands at over 2 billion euros,” said Stefano Albarosa, CEO of Cefin Holdings. Utility vehicles with a mass of 3.5 to 6.5 tonnes account for the largest share of the commercial vehicle segment, i.e. around 60%. On this segment, the actual number of registrations made in 2007 (which include vehicles purchased from abroad by individuals, i.e.) far exceeds the number included in statistics put together by the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA), which pointed to 1,347 units for the first 11 months of last year. Whereas for light utility vehicles (with a mass of up to 3.5 tonnes), actual figures are higher than the statistics; in the case of heavy trucks (with an over 18-tonne mass) figures are similar, because only official importers have the financial power to intermediate the acquisition of such vehicles. According to the APIA analysis, last year, the market of large haul vehicles consisted of around 9,000 units.