New car market, up 25pct in Q1 in Romania, 52,000 average in used car transactions (analysis)

Used car transactions in Romania (re-registrations) had the best first quarter of the last 10 years, with an average of nearly 52,000 cars sold monthly, while the market for new cars increased by 25 percent in the first quarter as compared to the same period in 2018, reveals a specialized analysis drawn up by the representatives of an online car sales platform. 

According to data, based on the statistics of the Driving License and Vehicle Registration Directorate (DRPCIV), between January and March 2019, as many 35,836 new car transactions were registered. In this context, Dacia has over one third of the market, and the top five brands - Dacia, Renault, Ford, Skoda and Volkswagen - have over 63 percent of the total. The best-selling models of new cars were: Duster, Logan and Sandero - from Dacia, and as foreign brands, the most sold were Renault Clio, Skoda Octavia and Ford Focus. 

In the case of second-hand domestic transactions (re-registrations), they averaged nearly 52,000 units sold each month. 

According to the quoted source, the market for imported cars dropped by 9 percent in the first quarter, representing the third consecutive year of decline. In terms of market share for the used car market, the BMW brand finished second, for the first time, a position that was generally occupied by Opel, while Volkswagen continued to rank first. 

Autovit.ro data also shows that the most sought-after passenger car maker on the online platform, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Ford are still in the Romanians' preferences. Unlike in the first quarter of 2018, this year Audi and Ford have gained ground over BMW.