Romanian Dacia Posted Highest Growth In EU Car Sales In 2013

01.16.2014 By Oana Gavrila

Sales of Romanian carmaker Dacia in the EU increased 23.3% last year, to 289,000 new cars, the highest growth posted by carmakers in the EU, reaching a 3.2% market share in December, according to data of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

Dacia's EU sales rose 48.2% on the year in December, to 28,700 cars from 19,300 in December 2012.

For the full year, Dacia's market share in the European Union stood at 2.4% from 1.9% in 2012.

Dacia's owner Renault ranked third among carmakers in Europe, with a 4.4% increase in sales, to 1.076 million cars.

In December, Renault sales in the EU climbed 30.3%, the highest growth among European carmakers, to 97,400 cars.

Ford, which owns a carmaking plant in Craiova, Romania, also posted steady growth in December, of 21.1%, to 62,600 cars, softening the decline registered throughout the year.

German giant Volkswagen remained the top European carmaker and sold nearly 3 million new cars in the EU last year and raising its market share to 25%.

Skoda, owned by Volkswagen, sold 483,100 cars in the RU last year, up 4.2%, while Spanish carmaker Seat, also controlled by Volkswagen, posted a 11.3% growth in sales, to 279,500 units.

Audi, Volkswagen's premium make, posted a decline of 1.4% in the EU, to 664,200 cars.

PSA Peugeot Citroen remained the second best-selling EU carmaker, with 1.3 million cars, a decline of 8.4%.

U.S. group General Motors ranks fourth, preceded by Renault and followed by Ford. GM sold 946,000 cars in the EU in 2013, down 4.3% on the year.

BMW ranks sixth with 761,500 cars sold in the EU last year, a slight decline. The German luxury carmaker climbed up one spot and overtook Italy's Fiat, which now ranks seventh with a 7.1% decline in sales, to 724,300 cars.

German group Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, posted a 4% growth in EU sales in 2013, to 658,500 cars.

Japanese carmaker Toyota stagnated last year at around 510,000 cars sold, followed by South Korean Hyundai with 408,200 cars, Nissan with 407,100 cars (a 2.6% decline), and Kia, which stagnated at nearly 330,000 cars.