Hyundai battles Dacia for provincial supremacy

The company intends to develop a network of car dealers to rival the largest such network in Romania, based on the idea that the Hyundai Accent model could become a direct competitor of the Dacia Logan. By the end of the year, Hyundai’s network will comprise 35 dealers with 62 sales points while Dacia’s network will have 75 showrooms.

“We intend to open showrooms in all provincial cities where to date only Dacia was represented. We are doing this because we believe we have a product, namely the Accent, that can rival Dacia’s Logan,” Hyundai Auto Romania’s Commercial Manager, Leonard Ungureanu, told Business Standard. Ploiesti and Campina are among the cities to which the company plans to expand.

The Hyundai Accent is comparable in size with the Dacia Logan, with a starting price of €9,600, VAT included. The Logan, with superior outfitting, could top €10,000.

Hyundai has a 2007 sales target of 12,000 units, 55 percent higher year-on-year. In H1 this year, Hyundai Auto Romania imported 5,400 cars, with the Accent accounting for a two-third share. The sale of the Accent increased by 65 percent in January-July 2007 year-on-year.

“This year’s turnover will be some €180-200 million, almost double the amount last year,” added Ungureanu. Hyundai Auto Romania had profits worth €5 million, and company representatives estimate this too will double. The company’s activity is coordinated from Frankfurt, Germany, this year. “Prior to EU integration, the Romanian market was considered part of ex-Soviet space, and our activity was coordinated from Moscow,” explained Ungureanu. Hyundai Auto Romania is part of the Tiriac Auto group, which also owns M Car Trading, Premium Auto and Romcar, and which has a 49 percent share of DaimlerChrysler Automotive Romania. These companies sell over 80 models of Mercedes, Smart, Chrysler, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Hyundai and Dodge.

Competitors
The company intends to develop a network of car dealers to rival the largest such network in Romania, based on the idea that the Hyundai Accent model could become a direct competitor of the Dacia Logan.