The Romanian market growth is ahead of Poland’s, but they are both left behind by the evolutions of the Baltic states. Sales grow abruptly in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, but the market volumes are tiny compared to the two east European tigers, Poland and Romania, said the publication.

Skoda and Dacia are the strongest brands in Central and Eastern Europe, followed by Opel, Renault and Volkswagen. The Czech brand is absolute leader in sales, with 5.2% growth, while Dacia, after registering an excellent year in 2006, dropped 6%. Skoda has a 2.9% market share and a 0.2% growth in the H1 of 2007, while Dacia has a 1% market share and a 0.1% growth.

Skoda sold 248,000 units, up 5.7% as against last year, while Dacia sold 86,000 units, up 14.9%. The Dacia Logan was the top-selling new car in Central and Eastern Europe in the H1 of 2007 with 52,750 units sold, ahead of Skoda Fabia (41,227 units), Skoda Octavia (33,483 units), Opel Astra (16,442 units) and Ford Focus (14,909 units), shows a market survey of JATO Dynamics, the leading supplier of automotive market intelligence. (people)