In comparison, 21 brands posted growth in 2012. The year 2013 was the sixth year of decline for the local automotive market, while the number of second-hand cars imported in Romania rose by more than 27% year-on-year to 221,500. Re-registrations (used cars sold in Romania) fell 42% to 205,000.
Unlike 2012, when the ten brands with the highest increases were only premium brands or brands with less than 1,000 cars sold a year, in 2013, a number of volume brands posted growth, too.
Four brands selling more than 1,000 cars a year made it into the top ten in 2013: Opel, Dacia, Mercedes-Benz and Fiat.
On the other hand, Bentley, Jeep and smart remained among the top ten by growth in 2012 and 2013. Bentley’s growth was partly because of the opening of the new official center of the brand in Bucharest inside the Porsche Pipera 2 dealership in the northern part of the city.
Jeep, on the other hand, launched the new generation of its Grand Cherokee model, the SUV competing with Land Rover Discovery, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML.
The clunkers program made a significant contribution to the 2013 results, with its almost 13,400 new cars sold. Sales via the program accounted for about 22% of the estimated sales of new cars for the entire 2013 (some 62,000), higher than the 20% of 2011. The contribution of the clunkers program to the total sales peaked in 2010, 60% (almost 190,000 vouchers issued and 62,000 new cars sold).
The driver of the market in 2013 was the launch of almost 100 new models in Romania, more than 70 of which announced at the beginning of last year. This year should see only 40 new models launched, mostly by premium brands.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)