Sales of carmaker Dacia in 2008 did post an 11.7% increase compared with the previous year, to more than 257,000 units, but did not match the estimate for the financial year, which had been initially set at 300,000 units, Ziarul Financiar reported.

The increases of the previous years, of more than 17% were no longer possible with the introduction of the second version of the registration tax, which hit local sales in the second half, compounded by the overall decline of the European automotive market at the end of the year, caused by the worldwide financial crisis.

According to ZF's estimates, Dacia's sales reached 2.45 billion euros in 2008, 23% more than in 2007, when sales were close to 2 billion euros. The calculation was done using an average price of 8,500 euros per each car sold in Romania and of 10,000 euros per each car sold abroad.

"It's true that sales in Romania went down, and the main reason is the introduction of the auto tax. There are lots of second-hand cars sold on the domestic market and unless steps are taken, Romania risks becoming Europe's dustbin," according to Jacques Daniel, commercial director of Automobile Dacia and Renault Romania.

In 2008, Dacia's sales in Romania fell to 84,708 units from almost 102,000 units in 2007. The sales of the company declined in the last few months of the year, with the worst drop witnessed in December, when Dacia sold 3,600 cars, 55% less than in the same time of the previous year.