Car sales drop 39% in November, the most in Europe

Only 451,000 new cars were sold in the first eleven months of this year, 22% fewer than in the respective period of 1999. Car sales fell 39% year-on-year in November, marking the steepest drop in all of Europe. Automotive market research company Samar expects total car sales this year not to exceed 500,000. Cars made in Poland accounted for only 61.3% of total sales this year. The drop in sales was accompanied by an increase in the average price of cars sold, which was zl.42,900 in November, compared with zl.36,300 at the beginning of the year. According to Samar head Wojciech Drzewiecki, the state budget will lose some zl.100 million this year in lower excise duty revenues resulting from the decrease in sales. Fiat is the automotive market leader with a 27.3% share, despite recording a 24% drop in sales over 1999. Daewoo and General Motors are second and third, with 22.6% and 8.4% market share respectively. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1) M.M.