A total of 20,119 new vehicles were sold in Bulgaria in the first four months of the year, monthly data of the Union of the Importers of Automobiles in Bulgaria (UIAB) provided to Profit.bg show.

The figure represents a 27.42-percent increase, compared to the 15,789 new vehicles sold in the corresponding period of 2007. New vehicle sales amounted to 4,895 units in April 2008 alone, slightly under the the average monthly sales of 5,030 units this year.

Cars accounted for 18,687 units, or 92.88%, of the total new vehicle sales in the country in the first four months of the year.

Opel remains the leader with a market share of 12.23%, followed by Toyota and Ford, which occupied 10.49 and 8.94% of the market, respectively. Volkswagen ranked fourth, while Peugeot occupied the number five spot in terms of market share.

A total of five companies commanded a market share of around 5% each. These included Dacia (5.74%), Chevrolet (5.32%), Citroen (5.14%) and Skoda (5.09%). Renault rounded out the top 10 with a market share of 3.99% as at the end of April.

The number of new motorcycles sold in the country in the first four months of the year stood at 168, compared to 137 for the year-ago period. Peugeot occupied a 47-percent share of the market, followed by Piaggio and Yamaha with a market share of 20.83 and 13.69%, respectively.

Iveco, Mercedes and Volvo, accounted for slightly over 88% of the new truck sales in the first quarter of the year, while Man and Isuzu held 6.70 and 4.54% market share, respectively.