Romania August 2022: Ssangyong smashes records, Dacia Sandero repeats at #1, registrations down -22.3%

Ssangyong sales are up 11-fold year-on-year in August. Picture liget.ro

12,539 new cars hit Romanian roads in August, that’s a harsh -22.3% year-on-year fall. The year-to-date tally however remains in positive at +5.1% and 83,350 units. Dacia (-32.1%) falls faster than the market but due to a high year-ago comparison base its share remains buoyant at 34.1% vs. 29% so far this year. Toyota (-0.2%) edges down to improve its market share to 8.7%. Hyundai (-17.6%) contains its fall somewhat at #3 while Ford (+5%) signs the only year-on-year gain in the Top 7 and jumps three spots on July to #4. Skoda (-12%) and Volkswagen (-21.2%) increase their market share year-on-year but Renault (-33.1%) isn’t that lucky. The hero of the month is Ssangyong (+1012.5%) up 11-fold year-on-year to smash its record ranking, volume and share at #8, 445 units and 3.5% with previous bests at #14, 183 and 1.5% hit just last month. This performance is particularly striking as the company is currently in dire straits.

In the models ranking, the Dacia Sandero (-9.8%) resists relatively well to repeat at #1 with 10.5% of the market vs. 6.2% year-to-date. The Dacia Logan (-56.1%) follows at #2 vs. #3 last month, yet another proof that the Logan’s once indestructible reign has come to an end. After 189 consecutive months of domination ever since its launch back in September 2004, the Logan has now missed the top spot 6 times in the past 18 months: beaten by the Duster in March 2021, by the Spring in November and December 2021, by both the Duster and Spring in March 2022, by the Sandero and Duster in July 2022 and by the Sandero this month. Even though the Logan remains the #1 vehicle YTD with a large margin, this has shaped up to be a middle-term trend of more volatility atop the Romanian sales charts. The Dacia Duster (-55.9%) is also in great difficulty at #3 followed by the Dacia Spring. At #5, the Hyundai Tucson (+10.2%) is the only non-Dacia model in the Top 6 with the Jogger staying at #6. The Ford Focus (+735.3%) and Ssangyong Tivoli (+1707.1%) sport surreal gains in the remainder of the Top 10.

Previous month: Romania July 2022: Dacia Sandero scores first ever win in market off -21.9%

One year ago: Romania August 2021: Dacia Duster breaks share record in market up 44.6%

Full August 2022 Top 45 all brands and Top 255 all models below.