Dutch Auto Sales Drop to New Low
THE HAGUE, 04/09/13 - Sales of new cars in the Netherlands plunged by 13.3 percent in August to 28,623 units, a new low for this year, according to figures published Tuesday by RDC, processed by Aumacon, an expertise centre for the auto sector.
This is the first time this year that less than 30,000 cars have been sold. In the first eight months of the year, a total of 270,095 cars were sold, nearly one-third less than in the same period a year earlier. Clem Dickmann, director of Aumacon, does not expect car sales to show any recovery in the coming months. For the full 2013 year, the auto expert is projecting a drop in sales to 375,000 new cars, over one-quarter less than last year. That would be the lowest number since 1969. For the Bovag and RAI sector organisations, the latest sales figure is a disappointment. They forecast that 410,000 new cars would be registered this year. But they have now dropped this forecast, a spokesman for RAI said. A new forecast will follow in a few weeks. Volkswagen, the number1 make in the Netherlands, has sold 32,957 cars since the beginning of the year, giving it a market share of 12.2 percent. Renault comes second with 8.6 percent and Ford third with 8.2 percent. |