Romanian new car market dropped 49% in five months. Ferrari registrations tripled. Dacia registration dropped 43%

Miercuri, 9 iunie 2010, 16:08 English | Business

New car registrations in Romania saw a 24% decrease in May 2010 in comparison with May 2009 and from January until end May, the recorded drop was 49%, show the data coming from the Driving Licence and Car Registration Authority (DRPCIV). Ferrari registrations almost tripled in the first five months of the year, while Chinese brand Great Wall went up 70%, even if the volumes are small. Volume brands saw drops similar to the market's average: Dacia 43%, Volkswagen 52%, Toyota 58%, Skoda 45%. 153 Dacia Duster SUVs have been registered in May.

The DRPCIV statistics show that 8.657 new cars have been registered for traffic last month, compared to 11,475 in May 2009. During the first five months of the year, 26,351 new cars received their registration, in contrast with 51,600 in the same period of 2009.

Two brands saw important registrations in the months from January to May: Ferrari - which attracted 14 clients in contrast with five last year - and Great Wall, which got 41 new clients, against 24 in the first five months of 2009.

Dacia is market leader, with over 8,200 registered cars, but dropping 43% against the first five months of last year. In May, 153 Duster SUVs received their registration number in Romania. Volkswagen attracted over 2,500 clients, plummeting with a -52% record, while Skoda sold over 2,100 cars, 45% below the 2009 level.

Other car brands that saw consistent drops in volume in the first five months are Peugeot (-72%), Hyundai (-79%), Fiat (-69%), Opel (-48%).

The Premium German brands felt the impact as well, but differently: MW (-10%), Audi (-50%), Mercedes (-61%). Last Month's registration for two-wheel vehicles dropped 17%, from 297 to 246 units. The transport vehicles category also dropped, 28%, slightly below 1,000 from around 1,400 units.

The DRPCIV data also indicate that over 13,000 second-hand were registered in May, out of which 3,700 Volkswagen, 3,400 Opel and 1,300 Ford.