The impact of July also shows in the overall figures: the car market is down 5.5% in January-July 2026 compared with the same period last year.
In a month when nearly the entire market saw a decline in volume, Chinese brands, however, strengthened their position in the rankings. Two of them made it into the top 10 brands: BYD, with 672 units, ranked fifth, and Chery, with 341 units, finished the month in tenth place. Together, the two brands accounted for 1,013 new cars, representing 8.7% of the total market in July.
BYD’s position is all the more significant given that in July, the Chinese automaker outperformed brands with a long-standing presence in the local market and dealer networks built over two to three decades: Mercedes-Benz (560 units), Renault (536), Ford (386), and BMW (351). The only brands that remained ahead of BYD were Dacia, Toyota, Skoda, and Volkswagen.
The Chinese presence also rose in the model rankings. The BYD Seal U, the Chinese automaker’s compact SUV, ranked eighth with 240 units registered in July, making it the only Chinese model in the market’s top ten.
Dacia remains the undisputed market leader, with 3,286 passenger cars registered in July, accounting for 28.2% of the total, and four models in the top ten: Logan (1,260 units, first place), Sandero (896), Duster (725), and Bigster (289). The Mioveni-based automaker is followed by Toyota, which saw 1,238 cars registered and, in turn, has three models in the monthly rankings: Corolla (544), Yaris Cross (256), and RAV4 (237).
In terms of engine trims, APIA data show that electrified cars as a whole declined by 20% compared with July 2025, while fully electric cars increased by 58%, to 821 units. As a result, 100% electric vehicles accounted for 7.1% of the new car market in July.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)