Large sedans (with prices starting from EUR40,000-50,000) were the “stars” of the car market in the first half, recording the best evolution. They bucked the trend, considering that a total of almost 43,200 cars were sold in Romania in first six months of this year, down 16% against the similar period of last year, according to statistics of the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association or APIA.
On the premium and luxury segment, the trend is in line with expectations of companies on the market. For instance, Alin Tapalaga, head of Porsche Inter Auto, the retail division of Porsche Romania, recently estimated a linear trend for the overall market, but an accelerated increase in the sales of higher-priced cars.
So, the segment of large sedans went up by nearly 70% in the first half against the first half of last year, to nearly 400 cars. The first six months of the year also saw a change of leader on this segment.
Whereas last year, the biggest sales were recorded by Mercedes-Benz E-Klasse, with 56 cars sold in the first half of 2010, this year BMW Series 5 went up from 50 cars last year to 106 cars in the first half of this year.
The second-largest rises were recorded by luxury sedans, with some of the models on this segment, such as Audi A8 and XJ posting three-digit sales increases.
SUV sales rose by over 25%, multipurpose vehicles rose 31%, with rises also recorded by D-segment cars, generally acquired by companies for middle managers.
The largest sales decline was recorded on the B-segment (with prices starting from around EUR8,000-EUR10,000), down almost 30% in the first six months of this year against the similar period of last year, to nearly 8,400 cars. The D-segment is the second-largest on the market after the compact segment, which directly affects the Romanian market. Renault Symbol remains the best-selling B-segment model, but fell 50% against the first half of last year.
(English version by Daniela Stoican; Editing by Radu Bostan)