German cars hold a 7 pct share on the Romanian market

German cars gained popularity in Romania last year, reaching a market share of 7 percent, according to a study by Autovit.ro. Though smaller than the European average, where German cars held a 35 percent share of the market last year, they are constantly gaining ground in Romania.

The low purchase power of our country could be one of the main reasons for the still restricted share German cars have on the local market, the study says, while also taking into account the fact that Dacia holds a third of the market, pushing all other auto brands to share the remaining two thirds. In comparison, at EU level the leading brand, Volkswagen, has a 13 percent share.

However, the second hand market in Romania is dominated by German models, with Volkswagen and Opel holding 63 percent of the total, three times the values of the new car market.

According to data from the Department for Driving and Vehicle Registration (DRPCIV) on car registrations, on the new car market Audi increased from a 0.9 percent share in 2007 to a 1.7 percent share in 2015, BMW went from 0.9 percent to 2.4 percent and Mercedes from 1 percent to 3.3 percent.

The Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA), reporting on vehicle sales, places Mercedes on the lead, with a 2.5 percent share, Audi a 2.1 percent and BMW at 2 percent. Together, the three brands have a 7 percent share of the market, while all German brands total a fifth of the new cars segment (including Volkswagen and Opel).

The second hand market paints a different picture, with Mercedes owning a 3.8 percent share, Audi 7.1 percent and BMW 7.2 percent, according to DRPCIV data. Overall, German cars have a share of over 63 percent of the second hand segment.

Together, the three premium German cars sold 5.5 million cars globally last year, with very small differences among brands: BMW sold 1.9 million, Mercedes-Benz sold 1.87 million and Audi 1.8 million.

Across the EU, in a market of 13 million new cars being sold, each of the three brands sold around 70,000 cars in 2015. German cars in general had a share of 32 percent, growing to over 35 percent in 2015. This includes the three premium brands, but also the volume brands like Volkswagen and Opel, and also smaller share brands like Porche (0.5 percent of the EU market).

The SUV segment reached a record share of 22 percent, with German SUVs among top cars. Audi Q5 was second for medium SUVs, while BMW X5 took the lead for the large class.

On Autovit.ro, a platform for new and second hand car sales, German brands have a large volume in offers, with six of ten listings being for a German car. On the platform Volkswagen holds an 18.5 percent share, BMW stands at 11.6 percent, Opel 9.6 percent, Mercedes 9.4 percent and Audi 9.1 percent.

Natalia Martian

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