UPDATE 2Strong economy drove Czech 2007 car sales up
(Adds quotes, outlook)
PRAGUE, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Czech new passenger and light
utility vehicle sales rose 12.16 percent last year to 194,580
units and will maintain double-digit expansion this year, the
Car Importers’ Association (SDA) said on Tuesday.
Sales picked up speed from a 4.2 percent expansion in 2006
as the central European economy maintained over 6 percent
economic growth increasingly led by household spending.
“The people’s purchasing power is beginning to show in that
they are beginning to renew the car fleet with new (rather than
second-hand) cars,” said SDA Secretary Pavel Tunkl.
Still, second-hand car sales soared by 51 percent last year
to 212,869, the group said.
Domestic maker Skoda Auto, a unit of Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research),
led the new car market with 49,094 passenger and 15,212 light
utility cars sold.
Many passenger cars in the Czech Republic have been sold
with small modifications as light utility vehicles, which allows
for a tax deduction.
Overall sales of new passenger cars rose 6.9 percent to
132,542, while sales of utility vehicles jumped 25.4 percent to
62,038 units.
Among passenger cars, Ford (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research) was the biggest importer,
followed by Renault (RENA.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) and Volkswagen. Continued…
