As expected, May sees slump following record car and van sales in April

Following April's record high sales of new cars and vans a sudden market slump appeared in May, and according to preliminary estimates, the joint sales in these two segments dropped by as much as 40% in comparison to the previous month. FIAT, the market leader in terms of sales, appears to have sold 4,200 cars in May, a drop of over 48%. "We undertook remedial action, such as new forms of financing purchases, but their final effects will be apparent only later," said FIAT Auto Poland's spokesman Bogusław Cieślar. In comparison to average sales from other months, the figures decreased by around 25%. Dealers also point out to the fact that some orders from April were realized in May, which might further suppress the final numbers. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 3) M.M.