The region’s leading automotive & mobility services provider, AutoWallis and its joint venture partner, the Portuguese Salvador Caetano Group have signed an agreement with the carmaker to become the official distributors of the brand in Romania and Moldova, expanding their influence in the Central Eastern European region.
AutoWallis PLC, listed in the Premium category of the Budapest Stock Exchange and its Portuguese joint venture partner, the Salvador Caetano Group – as AutoWallis Caetano – has secured the distribution rights for Nissan in Romania and Moldova as well. The two joint venture partners each hold a 50% stake in AutoWallis Caetano.
Operations started on the 17th June. Besides Nissan’s already established passenger vehicle portfolio, the joint venture will introduce Nissan’s light commercial vehicle (LCV) lineup - Nissan Townstar, Nissan Primastar and Nissan Interstar - to both markets. In autumn 2025 AutoWallis Caetano will launch the new fully electric Nissan Micra for Romanian and Moldovan customers, followed by the introduction of the new Nissan Leaf at the beginning of 2026.
Romanian operations
The Romanian operations will start with a dealer network of 20 locations for sales and 26 locations for parts. The locally established legal entity, NSN RO will also manage the entire import and distribution activity for Nissan Europe.
“We are proud to announce our latest transaction with our trusted joint venture partners, the Salvador Caetano Group” – said Gábor Ormosy, CEO of AutoWallis. “Together we have already achieved numerous successes, introducing new automotive brands to the region and strengthening our market positions together. This milestone is especially pleasing for us, since Moldova becomes the 17th country in the CEE region where AutoWallis is present. While continuing to work with our Portuguese partners, AutoWallis will also pursue its independent expansion, through business development, acquisitions and the robust implementation of our growth strategy, which commits to doubling our 2023 results by 2028.”
Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO of Global Automotive Distribution of the Salvador Caetano Group said “This agreement for Romania & Moldova is another step in Salvador Caetano's partnership with Nissan and in our expansion plan in Europe. Our collaboration with the AutoWallis Group opens an excellent opportunity to further develop the pillars of our strategy and contribute to the revival of the Nissan brand in Romania & Moldova."
A great partnership for romanian people
Charbel Abi Ghanem, Nissan Vice President, Independent Markets Europe said “This partnership is great news for Nissan customers in Romania and Moldova. Both the Salvador Caetano Group and AutoWallis Plc have extensive experience across numerous markets with a consistently strong track record across distribution, aftersales care and customer satisfaction. The joint venture is a great fit for the Nissan brand, and we are looking forward to continuing to bring the very best, and latest, of our products to Romania and Moldova.”
Welcoming the agreement, Nissan Country Director for AutoWallis Caetano, Ionut Lupu added “we are delighted to receive the opportunity to distribute Nissan throughout Romania and Moldova as well. Our joint venture brings stability, decades of experience and valuable synergies to the business.
AutoWallis has already been present in 16 countries in CEE before entering Moldova, while the Portuguese Salvador Caetano has significant experience in vehicle sales primarily on the Iberian Peninsula, in Scandinavia, in South America and Africa. AutoWallis has recently expanded its presence in the Czech Republic by acquiring 3 BMW dealerships of NC Auto (Stratos) as well as the largest acquisition so far in company history: the acquisition of the Milan Král Group. The latter move also brought 3 new brands – Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Ford – into the AutoWallis fold. Ever since AutoWallis also introduced Shanghai-based global electric carmaker NIO to the CEE region.
AutoWallis Caetano already has some significant milestones in the region: securing the distribution rights of Renault/Dacia/Alpine for Hungary, the establishment of the first Renault/Dacia dealerships of the joint venture in Budapest and the introduction of the XPENG electric brand in multiple markets.
About AutoWallis
AutoWallis is the leading integrated car and mobility service provider in the Central and Eastern European region. AutoWallis is present in 17 countries of the Central and Eastern European region (Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, North Macedonia and Hungary) with wholesale and retail motor vehicle and parts distribution, service, short and long-term car rental. Brands represented by the Group's Wholesale business include Alpine, BYD, Dacia, Isuzu, Farizon, Jaguar, KGM, Land Rover, MG, NIO, Nissan, Opel, Renault, Saab aftermarket, and XPENG, the brands represented by the Retail business include BMW cars and motorcycles, BYD, Dacia, Ford, Isuzu, Jaguar, KGM, KIA, Land Rover, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, MINI, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Suzuki, Toyota, JoAutok.hu and AUTO-LICIT.HU, while the Mobility Services Business Unit is present on the Hungarian market with the brands wigo carsharing, wigo fleet, Sixt rent-a-car.
About Salvador Caetano
Salvador Caetano Group is an international group dedicated to the automotive industry and sector, present in 3 continents, in more than 45 countries and with more than 9,000 employees. Founded in 1946, the Salvador Caetano Group has more than 75 years of experience and currently has more than 100 companies established in Europe, South America, and Africa, in the following business areas: Industry (automobiles, buses and aeronautics), automobile import and distribution, mobility, industrial equipment, workshops and services.
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