General Motors Southeast Europe, importer of Opel and Chevrolet in Romania said it planned to keep market share at 9.8%-10% in Romania this year for the two brands.
“Our target for 2009 is to keep last year market share at 5.2%-5.4% for Chevrolet. Overall, we aim at holding our position by occupying 9.8-10% of the local market. Insignia is expected to make the difference as the segment didn’t feel the full impact of the financial crisis”, said Constantin Avromescu, sales, marketing and after-sales director at GM Romania.
The representative of the car maker added that in March the car market had increased up to 14,500 in car volume.
“We expect the March volume of cars and light-weight vehicles to stay in the 14,000-14,500 range, of which Chevrolet to account for 2%-2.1%, and Opel 3.7%-3.75%. Last month we marked a positive trend. The delayed scrapping indemnity has taken its toll on sales together with the lockdown of lending activity. The impact was significantly higher on Chevrolet brand. We will lay our hopes on Opel Insignia and Chevrolet Cruze, expected to be shipped within 2-3 months”, Avromescu said.
This year, the volume of cars and light-weight vehicles is likely to reach 180,000.
As for the cost cutting measures applied by car manufacturers, Avromescu says the “discounts came as a response to the stockpiling cars. The prices will increase further as a result of the sluggish volumes, and not only in Romania, but all over the world. Any producer, or dealer is due to have a stock 2/3-fold larger than sales in an effort to stay competitive”.
Car services account for roughly 75% of the company’s turnover, as Avromescu said. “If the sale usually stood at 75% of the turnover, and car service at 25%, the sales are now occupying a mere 25% and the remaining 75% being due to aftersales services”, GM official said.
The new Opel As
