Last year, Romania had a positive trade balance in terms of new cars trade, according to the data provided by the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers (APIA).
They showed that new cars exports in 2024 amounted to EUR 12 billion, while new cars imports reached EUR 3.5 billion. The automotive industry association also shows that used cars imports totaled EUR 3.4 billion.
The Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers stated they intend to debunk a series of false information recently circulated in the media that the value of automotive industry exports is lower than that of imports, suggesting a supposed poor performance of the sector.
„This interpretation does not reflect the economic and commercial reality of the automotive industry in Romania”, say APIA representatives, who rejected the idea that the Romanian automotive sector is underperforming.
Romanian car industry is highly competitive on international markets. Dacia is one of the top-selling brands in Europe
„The figures circulated in the media concerning exports of EUR 43 billion and imports of EUR 45 billion are overstated in absolute terms. These values do not reflect the real structure of trade flows specific to the automotive industry, but include segments that are not directly relevant to the evaluation of sector performance”, APIA pointed out.
In reality, Romania exported in 2024 new cars worth approximately EUR 12 billion, while new cars imports amounted to EUR 3.5 billion.
„These figures show a positive yield of exports compared to imports, underlining the competitiveness of the Romanian automotive industry on the international market. Even taking into account used cars imports, which amounted to EUR 3.4 billion, the trade balance remains favorable to the export of new cars”, APIA representatives added.
APIA calls for measures against used cars imports. Nearly one quarter of imported used cars are over 15 years old
However, the association stated that used cars imports generate significant economic losses for the Romanian state, as a large part of them are imported „off the books”, without being taxed or properly taxed.
Data show that, last year, out of over 340,000 used cars brought to Romania, more than 80,000 are older than 15 years.
APIA stated that it is necessary to „introduce a general annual tax for cars depending on the pollution norm and the year of manufacture, and such a measure would contribute to protecting public health, improving road safety and reducing the impact on the state budget, while encouraging the purchase of newer, safer and less polluting cars”.
Car production in Romania – new record in 2024
Automobile production in Romania reached a record number of 560,102 units in 2024, up 9.2% compared to the previous record set in 2023, according to data published by the Association of Automobile Manufacturers in Romania (ACAROM).
Romania has two large car factories, in Mioveni (Dacia) and in Craiova (Ford Otosan). Of the total production volume last year, Dacia produced 309,432 units, slightly below that of 2023, while Ford Otosan produced 250,670 units, a significant increase. Ford has massively increased production in recent years, in 2024 alone by more than 50,000 compared to 2023, respectively an increase of 31%. The evolution came from the development of production lines by incorporating the two models Transit and Tourneo Courier, replacing the production of the EcoSport model. Of Craiova’s total 2024 production volume, the Puma SUV contributed 166,242 units, while the two Couriers amounted to 84,239 units.
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