“Whoever carries on selling new cars exclusively face bankruptcy by year-end. The second-hand car business, not €3,000 cars, but quality automobiles, should be a priority for dealers. Considering that second-hand car sales make up about three quarters of the total market, as is the case in Western Europe, it will be difficult for a new car dealer to remain afloat with only 25 percent of the total market,” said Radu Cristian, Sales Manager of Trust Motors, general importer of the Peugeot brand.
Officials of the BMW importer said that, besides additional profit, selling second-hand cars can contribute indirectly to increasing new car sales and to attracting new clients.
“The second-hand car business is registering an upward trend. On the one hand, it supports new car sales, through the trade-in process, and, simultaneously, can constitute an additional source of profit. Thirdly, it is a tool by which we can attract clients who previously did not consider BMW, a premium brand,” said Dan Necsoiu, Used Car Manager of BMW Group Romania.
New car sales in Romania fell 50.8 percent in the first four months of 2009, to 44,558 units, compared to the same period last year.
