New car sales were down by almost 52% in August compared to a year before, reflecting consumer uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, an automobile association said Wednesday.
The Romanian Automobile manufacturers association ACAROM said that less than 11,200 vehicles had been sold in in Romania in August 2020, a decrease from 2019.
In the first eight months of 2020, Romanians registered 73,700 new vehicles, about one-third less than they did in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted everyday life, the association said.
The volume of second-hand cars sold in Romania also fell, reflecting a general downturn in the economy and a lack of consumer confidence.
In August, just under 30,000 second-hand units were registered with Romanian authorities, a drop of 17.7% compared to August 2019.
In the first eight months of this year, some 241,565 automobiles were registered with authorities, almost a fifth less than the previous year. Romania was under a strict lockdown from March 16 to May 15, when many public institutions were closed disrupting everyday life.
French-owned Dacia remains the most popular brand in Romania selling more cars than any other make in the first eight months of the year.
Dacia, which is owned by Renault sold 22,705 units followed by parent company Renault which sold 6,613 vehicles.
Germany’s Volkswagen sold 5,800 vehicle and Skoda sold slightly less. Hyundai sold about 4,600 units
The most popular models are Dacia, Logan, Dacia Sandero, Dacia Duster, Renault, Clio and Skoda Octavia.
