Consumer optimisim growing in new and used car markets

The value of loans increased mostly thanks to growing car sales, as the number of new cars sold over the first six months grew by 13.3%. By the end of June, the public had bought 173,700 used cars, mostly imported. "In the first half of last year, Toyota sold 12,000 cars, while so far this year 18,000 have been sold. Due to this there were a growing number in both value and the number of loans granted," said Andrzej Ostrowski, president of Toyota Bank. Bankers think that their sales will further grow due to falling interest rates and symptoms of economic revival. "Consumers' optimism will grow," claims Ostrowski. Representatives of the banks also think that there will be growing demand for used cars, especially when car wholesalers set up and banks will be allowed to cooperate with them. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B7) M.M.