Romanian new car market drops 70% in Q1

New car registrations in Romania dropped by 70% in the first three months, recording below 9,000 units, according to Romanian Driving Licence and Car Registration Authority (DRPCIV). The effects of the Scrappage Scheme programme had a weaker impact. The market dropped to half of its March 2009 value. Dacia registrations plummeted by 78% in the first quarter of the year, Ford dropped by 43%, Volkswagen saw new car registrations losing 65% and BMW – 13%.

Romania saw 4,027 new cars registered in March 2010, half of what the figures last same month last year. Overall, the first three months of the year recorded 8,819 new car registrations, in contrast with the figures in Q1 2009, namely 29,000.

1.571 Dacia cars were registered in Romania in the first quarter, a 78% low against last year. Volkswagen’s next with 1,243 registered cars, dropping 65%. Third in the negative queue is Ford, with 1,001 new cars, minus 44% against the Q1 2009 figures.

Premium German brands had various evolutions: BMW dropped 13%, to 314 cars, but Audi had to put up with a 61% minus, recording below 160 cars. Mercedes faced an even grimmer statistic: -78%, counting 136 cars. Fate was sweeter for Porsche, who saw a mild 18% drop.

Tough drops were seen in a series of brands: Fiat (-84%), Chrysler (-95%), Dodge (-89%), Hyundai (-89%), Kia (-83%), Peugeot (-90%)