Sales of minis and of SUVs saw the lowest decline in the first five months of the year, by 39% and 18% respectively, according to statistics of the Automotive Producers and Importers Association, amid a 47% decline in car imports.

The steepest decline was recorded by models in the higher price range, such as large saloon cars and luxury cars, which went down by 53%, to 293 units, and by 62%, to 66 units respectively.

"Most affected by the crisis are big and expensive cars, due to the downsizing trend. Clients are now opting for models in lower segments and for smaller engines. Players on the luxury segment are the hardest hit," said Brent Valmar, vice-president of the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association, and general manager of Porsche Romania, the largest car importer in Romania.

However, in the case of SUVs, the lower rate of decline is because of the new models launched, which are generally included in the lower price segment.

For instance, whilst models such as Volkswagen Tuareg, BMW X5 and Toyota Land Cruiser were among the top 10 best selling SUVs in the first five months of the year, the only one still on the best selling list is Tuareg, but down by over 63%.

"Everywhere in Europe SUVs are seeing declines due to the new regulations on exhaust emissions. However, Audi is available with Euro 5-compliant engines, while the future Q7 facelift (which will be launched this summer) will be available with Euro 6-compliant engines," Valmar said.

Sales of the Q7 SUV, the best-selling premium SUV model, recorded a 70% decline in the first five months of the year compared with the similar period of last year, to 62 units. The decline was mainly generated by cars with big, 4.2-litre petrol engines, which saw an 83% decline, and by those with a 4.0-litre diesel engine, which fell 96%. This was also true of the BMW X5, which f