Romania’s Car Market Posts Biggest Drop In EU In Jan-May Interval, Registrations Fell 49%

Romanian carmaker Dacia continued to register a decrease in the number of registrations in the EU in May.

The Romanian passenger car market fell by 24.6% in May, compared to the same interval last year, to 8,657 units, and the country ranks 14th in the EU by number of car registrations, said the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). In April, Romania was ranked 18th in the EU by number of new car registrations.

Registrations of new Dacia cars were up 21.3% to 108,505 units in the first five months of the year in the EU, compared with the same interval in 2009. In May, the registrations fell by 5.4%, to 23,415 units, following a 15.6% decline in April.

Carmaker Dacia's market share rose to 1.8% between January and May 2010, from 1.5% in the same interval last year, and to 2.1% in May 2010, from 2% in May 2009.

At a EU level, the number of new passenger car registrations increased by 1.9%, to 5,943,096 in the first five months of the year, compared to the same interval in 2009. Car registrations shrank 9.3%, to 1,129,508 units in May.

New car requests in the EU dropped for the second time in a row in May, which mirrors the difficult economic situation in the region and the end of government programs upholding the car market, ACEA said in a report.

Germany posted the biggest number of registration in the EU both in May and in the first five months of the year.The biggest increase in the number of car registrations in the January-May interval was reported by Portugal (56.3%) and in May by Ireland (70.6%).

French group Renault, owner of Dacia, posted a 24.9 increase in the number of new registrations in the first five months of the year, to 623,881 cars, and a 5.9% increase in May, to 118.631 units. Its market share rose to 10.5% in the first five months of the year from 8.6%, and to 10.5% in May, from 9%.

German group Volkswagen posted the biggest market share in the European Union, both in May and in the January-May interval, of 22.1% and 21% respectively. The German carmaker is followed by PSA Peugeot Citroen, Renault and Ford.

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