Car production in Romania increased by 13.6% in the first six months of the year to 268,759 units, according to the latest report of the industry association ACAROM.

With a production of about 500,000 cars, Romania can surpass Italy this year, Ziarul Financiar commented. Last year, Italy produced 442,000 units, compared to 420,000 in Romania. Previously, Romania surpassed Italy in 2013 - the first full year of production for Ford B-Max in Craiova.

In June, 52,654 cars were built, 17% more compared to the same month last year. Of these, 34,287 cars were made at the Dacia plant, and the remaining 18,367 vehicles were built at the Ford plant in Craiova.

In the first half of the year, Dacia produced 165,350 while Ford manufactured 103,409 vehicles.

Somehow surprising given the bullish figures published by ACAROM, the statistics office INS reported that the gross production index in the “manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers” has contracted by 9.8% YoY in January-May. 

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Ford Romania)