25.8% drop in car registrations in Romania, after first three months (APIA)

Romanian car registrations have dropped by 25.8% during the first three months of this year, in comparison with the similar period of last year, according to a press release sent by the Car Producers and Importers Association (APIA).

"After seeing in the last 4 months of 2020 significant growths in vehicle registrations, 2021 started with an important drop in January (-46.6%) and February (-18.8%), these being, in a manner, compensated by the growth of 19.4% in March. At European level, though, after an important growth in March (+87.3%), the first trimester ends with a general growth of 3.2%," the press release says.

Returning to the national market, the top brands (automobiles + freight vehicles) after 3 months, in 2021, is led by Dacia (4,322 units), followed by Ford (2,656 units), Toyota (2,061 units), Hyundai (1,844), Volkswagen (1,833), Skoda (1,767), Mercedes Benz (1,541), Renault (1,456), BMW (956), and Suzuki (809).

Based on the type of fuel of registered vehicles, after 3 months in 2021, the ratio of gasoline automobiles has registered a moderate drop (-3.8 percentage points), from the similar period of 2020, thus reaching a ratio of 61.3%. Regarding diesel engine automobiles, these too record a drop of 3 pp from the first 3 months of 2020, thus holding a ratio of only 26.5% of the total.

According to the press release, "electrified" automobiles, namely the electric ones (100% and hybrid plug-ins), as well as those full hybrid (which hold electric propulsion without charging from an external source), manage to hold, after the first 3 months of 2021, a market ratio of 12.2%, which is 2.2 times higher than what was recorded in the similar period of last year (5.5%).

Another analysis presented by APIA is the evolution of all-wheel drive automobiles (4x4). These have, after 3 months in 2021, a market quota of 25.3%, with a total volume of 5,174 units, smaller by 21.4% than what was recorded in the similar period of 2020.

Regarding the ownership type, most automobile acquisitions during the first 3 months of 2021 were made by companies, which cover 67% of the total automobile acquisitions, individuals only covering 33%. The report is a lot more unbalanced than usual, given how late the Rabla scrappage program was launched, generating a visible wait, especially among individuals, and not only.