Second most popular is Volkswagen, with almost 700,000 cars registered in Romania or 14% of the total, as the German brand is the top imported brand of new and used cars.
Considering both Volkswagen and Audi, Skoda, Seat, Porsche and Bugatti, the total number of the VW Group cars stands at almost 1.1 million, with Skoda and Audi ranking seventh and eighth by popularity in Romania.
The Transport Ministry via the Romanian Automotive Register has identified 105,000 Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat cars equipped with the Euro 5 1.2 TDI, 1.6 TDI and 2.0 TDI diesel engines. These are the engines that came with software that helped the vehicles detect when tested and reduce emissions accordingly. Out of these, 56,000 were new cars sold in Romania and 49,000 were second-hand cars imported into the country. This means almost one in ten VW Group cars in Romania is involved in the so-called Dieselgate scandal.
The average age of the cars in Romania went up to 12.9 years in 2014, according to Police data, compared with 10.7 years in 2013. The lowest average age, 9.3 years, was recorded in 2012.
In comparison, the average age of cars in the EU is 8.6 years, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
The total number of cars in Romania rose to 4.9 million units last year, 4.5% more than in 2013. The highest such increase was recorded in 2009, 5.4%, to 4.23 million units.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)