Romania September 2022: Dacia Sandero #1 again, Tesla Model 3 up to record #8, market up 34.3%

The Dacia Sandero is the best-seller at home for the third straight month.

New car sales in Romania bounce back into positive in September at +34.3% to 11,927 units. The year-to-date volume is now up 8% to 95,277 sales. Dacia (+46.2%) beats its home market to reach 29.9% share but in 2nd place Toyota (+20.3%) underperforms at 7.9% of the market. Skoda (+96.7%) almost doubles its sales year-on-year and gains three spots on August to land on the third step of the podium. Volkswagen (+51.8%) is up one to #4 just as Hyundai (-3.1%) disappoints and round out the Top 5. Renault (+74.8%), Peugeot (+36.4%) and Ford (+50.7%) also shine but the best performer in the Top 10 is without contest Tesla up 22 ranks on last month to a record #9 and going from just 1 sale a year ago to 341 this month. Strikingly, Seat (+98%) is the only additional Top 20 brand outpacing the market.

Over in the models ranking, we are witnessing a historical change of guard, with the Dacia Sandero (+86.6%) best-seller for the third straight month and ever. The Dacia Duster (+115.2%) is up one spot on August to #2 as is the Dacia Spring to #3. As a result the Dacia Logan (-56.8%), in complete freefall, is down to #4 which is its worst ever ranking at home in exactly 18 years in market. The Logan only manages less than half the Sandero volume this month. It remains #1 year-to-date and its advantage over the Dacia Duster (1,250 sales) might not be enough to keep it in the lead until the end of the year. The next 5 models outrace the market: the Ford Focus (+520.4%), Renault Megane (+193.9%), Skoda Octavia (+162.7%) and Hyundai Tucson (+58.8%) impress just as the Tesla Model 3 is up 157 ranks on last month to break into the Romanian Top 10 for the first time at #9.

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

One year ago: Romania September 2021: Hyundai (+75.3%), Toyota (+41.3%) ignore market off -17.8%

Full September 2022 Top 43 all brands and Top 260 all models below.