September car sales show that the new car market remains sluggish

Out of the leading five companies, only Renault and Skoda appear to have nothing to immediately worry about. In September the public bought close to 20,600 new cars, compared to 20,300 in August - the weakest month of 2004. However, in September 2003 the figure was a third higher at 30,700. "We sold less cars in September than in earlier months of 2004. Usually September is better than August, but this time we saw a lower turnover," said Maciej Kilim from Toyota Motor Poland. Between January to September 2003 257,900 new cars were sold, while for the analogous period of this year the number was only 256,000. Renault Polska's representative Eliza Kruszewska said that, "September was quite good. We sold 2,015 cars, 24% more than in August. The market is stabilizing." Car manufacturers who have prepared attractive promotional offers and who are introducing new models expect to see sales rise during the final quarter. (Puls Biznesu, p. 3) D.W.