In the first eight months of 2022, a total of 32,245 new passenger cars were sold in Croatia, which is 6.8 percent down from the same period of 2021, state news agency Hina said on Monday, citing a press release from the Promocija Plus market research agency.

The best-selling car brand was Volkswagen, with 3,669 units sold in that period, and an 11.3 percent share in total sales. It was followed by Skoda, with 3,008 units sold and a 9.3 percent market share, and Opel, with 2,904 units sold and a 9.0 percent share. The top five brands also included Kia, with 2,796 new cars sold and an 8.6 percent share in total sales, and Dacia, with 2,576 cars sold and a 7.9 percent share.

In August alone, 3,320 new passenger cars were sold, which is an increase of 16.8 percent compared to August 2021.

In August 2022, the best selling car model in Croatia was the Opel Crossland, with 408 units sold, ahead of the Opel Corsa (181 units sold), the Skoda Octavia (169), the Dacia Duster (121) and the Dacia Sandero (105). As for luxury vehicles, one Lamborghini and one Rimac were also sold in August.

Most of the cars sold over the first eight months of 2022 ran on fossil fuels – petrol-powered cars accounted for 53.9 percent of sales (17,380 units), and diesel-powered vehicles for 19.3 percent (6,225 units). Another 20.0 percent were hybrids (6,443 units), and only 2.3 percent (750 units) were electric cars.

These statistics only take into account brand new vehicles sold via dealerships.