The entire commercial utility vehicle market increased by 23% to more than 5,500 units in January-April.
Sales of trucks and commercial utility vehicles are a barometer of the economy, as an increase thereof indicates an increase in commercial or manufacturing activity of the business sector. A truck costs as much as EUR80,000 to EUR90,000.
On the other hand, sales of imported second hand utility vehicles, too, went up 5% in the first four months, but the growth rate slowed down. A total of 15,700 second hand utility vehicles were registered in January-April, almost three times as many as the new ones registered.
“If the truck sales growth trend continues as until now, we estimate a double-digit growth of the market by the end of 2015,” said Boris Billich, chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz Romania.
Mercedes-Benz saw 1,315 light commercial utility vehicles registered in 2013, and 1,550 in 2014.
The start of the year was promising for the new vehicle category and if the growth trend continues, the company expects to see 10% growth in the registrations of Mercedes-Benz light commercial utility vehicles in 2015 and in 2016, Boris Billich said.
Sigurd Wandel, managing director of Volvo Group Trucks Romania, too, thinks the beginning of the year was very good and expects the market to grow in 2015.
“We’ve been seeing good growth of our business in Romania every year, coordinated with Romania’s GDP growth,” Wandel said, adding the trend would continue this year, as well.
Volvo Group Trucks Romania, which sells Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks, accounted for more than 25% of the local market (with Volvo Trucks contributing 20.3% and Renault Trucks 5.2%) last year. These percentages will increase this year, Sigurd Wandel says.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)