Romania 1985-1994: Car market survives troubled times

The Dacia 1310 is the best-selling vehicle in Romania over the period.

The 1985-1994 period is probably the most eventful in recent Romanian political history. The country witnessed the fall of Communism during the December 1989 Romanian Revolution and a shaky transition into democracy from 1990 onwards. As a result, the Romanian car market follows a seesaw shape all through the period. It starts just under 69.000 annual units in 1985, a level it would not come close to over the following decade. 1986 (-37.3%) is the worst year, followed by a 34.7% surge in 1988, a -35.7% drop in 1990, a 21.4% uptick in 1991 only to return back in hell (-32.6%) in 1992.

The Dacia 1320 (Hatchback) was produced between 1987 and 1990.
1983 Dacia 1310 Break

In 1993 Romanian new car sales finally seem out of the woods, with a spectacular 85.3% surge to just over 57.000 units, only to remain stable (+0.7%) in 1994. Over the entire period, the Dacia 1310 dominates the Romanian charts, notably thanks to successive facelifts in 1983 and 1988.

Full Year 1985-1994 annual volumes below.