Overall auto sales, including commercial vehicles and buses, increased 30.9% year-on-year to 57.019 units.
Dacia, made locally by French Renault’s unit Dacia Automobile, was the best-traded brand on the local new cars market in the first seven months with 16,302 units, followed by Volkswagen with 4,723 units, and Skoda with 4,374 units.
Romania produced 246,227 vehicles in the first seven months of 2014, down 8.8% on the year. Exports rose 1.1% to 227,867 vehicles, while imports increased 26.2% to 41,531 vehicles.
On a monthly basis, sales of new passenger cars fell 6.1% to 8,567 units in July, the data showed.
The APIA figures include also vehicles traded in intra-community markets.
“This considering, the data published by the statistics institute INS and the figures regarding the actual car registrations in Romania depict a slightly less optimistic picture for the local auto market,” APIA said.
INS data show only a 4.7% increase in car sales after the first six months of 2014, while new car registrations in January-July lag 17% behind the sales figures reported by APIA.
Romania’s auto market declined for the sixth consecutive year in 2013, to 82,011 units, hurt by growing demand for used vehicles and a weakening purchasing power.
For 2014, APIA forecasts an annual growth of 4% to 5%.