Imports racing to catch up to domestically built automobiles

Vehicles made domestically by Fiat and Daewoo have topped the new car sales list in Poland over the past decade but this year will see foreign competitors' models zoom to the front of the pack, industry watchers said. Cars made by Renault, Toyota, Opel and Peugeot are racing to the top of national rankings. Peugeot 307, Renault Laguna, Toyota Yaris and Toyota Corolla sales climbed fastest between the first quarter of 2001 and the first three months of this year, according to a car market report by research firm Samar (see chart, page 22). Fiat's Seicento still sold the greatest number of new units in Poland and Daewoo's Matiz and Lanos are still among the top 10 but their market share has been downshifting for months and imported models will muscle them further down the list as the trend continues throughout this year, market watchers said.

"I think Peugeot 307 will be the best-selling car this year in the mid-sized class," said Jacek Lisik, president of Internet Services, the operator of the car Web site mojeauto.pl. "The 307 will repeat the success of the 206 in the compact class." Peugeot 307 competes with the Toyota Corolla, Fiat Stilo, Volkswagen Golf, Opel Astra, Ford Focus, Renault Megane, Nissan Almera and Honda Civic in the mid-sized category, which has suffered relatively little from the three-year-long downward trend in new car sales. "This clientele is less threatened by unemployment," said Wojciech Drzewiecki, Samar's president. "They are employed in different job positions than compact and economy car buyers. It's rather the mid-rank management here." The Peugeot 307 and Toyota Corolla were the strongest upward movers in the group. Corolla sold 2,284 models in the first three months of this year, 1,344 more units than a year earlier, and Peugeot sold 1,494 units of the 307 model, starting from zero a year ago. "Corolla is made in Europe, so the customs are lower than for cars (imported) from Japan," Lisik said. "Especially after Jan. 1, when the duties on European Union-made cars were lifted."

The sales in the mid-size category fell by an average of 16% over the year ending March 2002, much less than in the economy car category (down by 48%), which includes Poland's long-time market leaders, the Fiat Seicento and Daewoo Matiz. "The economy is performing badly so those customers who are interested in the cheapest cars have empty wallets," Drzewiecki said. The economy class has been hurt most, he said. An additional factor causing Daewoo's and Fiat's slide against importers of economy cars is the belief among Polish drivers that old and used foreign cars are better than new Polish vehicles, Drzewiecki said. Toyota, which recently launched a revamped Yaris, has dented much of Seicento's and Matiz's economy market share. "The Yaris is cheap, particularly now that duties have been lifted," Lisik said. "Toyota's strategy is to use Yaris and Corolla as its racehorses in Europe." Renault Laguna was the second-fastest growing model in the first quarter, beating its key competitors in the upper-medium category. "Laguna had very good crash-test results," Drzewiecki said. "And this always attracts buyers."

Top-selling car models Jan.-March 2002 vs. Jan.-March 2001

Best-selling models Model Units % Change Fiat Seicento 7,892 -37.00 Skoda Fabia 5,892 3.82 Peugeot 206 3,029 1.20 Daewoo Matiz 2,638 -61.77 Daewoo Lanos 2,586 -50.74 Volkswagen Polo 2,376 2.77 Fiat Uno 2,312 -45.08 Fiat Punto 2,296 -46.47 Toyota Corolla 2,284 142.98 Opel Corsa 2,230 77.69

Fastest gainers Model Units Change Peugeot 307 1,494 1,494 Renault Laguna 1,547 1,472 Toyota Yaris 2,136 1,411 Toyota Corolla 2,284 1,344 Opel Corsa 2,230 975 Opel Astra 2,199 742 Citroen C5 568 568 Fiat Stilo 567 567 Renault Thalia 1,943 500 Ford Mondeo 793 351

Fastest losers Model Units Change Fiat Seicento 7,892 -4,635 Daewoo Matiz 2,638 -4,263 Skoda Felicia 0 -3,308 Daewoo Lanos 2,586 -2,664 Daewoo Nubira 108 -2,330 Fiat Punto 2,296 -1,993 Fiat Uno 2,312 -1,898 Daewoo Polonez 431 -1,292 Opel Vectra 129 -820 Fiat Siena 152 -715

Source: Samar