“The market fell dramatically in 2012, especially on the segment of individuals. This was basically the year that brought the car market back to its 2000 level in terms of the number of new cars delivered. Given the sales recorded in the last quarter of the year, the decline of the car market against 2011 can exceed 25%,” said Dana Cortina, general manager of Porsche Inter Auto, the retail division of Porsche Holding in Romania.
The almost 25% decline recorded by the Romanian car market last year is the steepest in three years, second only to the 50% decline recorded in 2009.
According to market information, over 70% of the around 72,000 cars sold last year were bought by companies, while only 20% were sold through the state-supported clunkers program.
As for 2013, the trend of the car market this year depends on a large number of variables, the leading ones being how the car tax will be modified and how the clunkers program will fare.
(English version by Daniela Stoican)