May 18, 2023 - According to European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) data, 19,284 new cars in Croatia were registered in the period from January to April, which is 38.8 percent more than in the same period last year.

As Poslovni writes, car sales in the EU increased strongly again in April, and in Croatia, the growth rate was almost three times higher than the European average, according to a report by the manufacturer's association ACEA on Wednesday.

In April, 808,188 new cars were registered in 26 EU countries, excluding Malta, which is 17.2 percent more than in the same month last year, ACEA found.

In March, sales jumped by 28.8 percent, the highest since May 2021.

In the group of leading markets, the number of registered new cars in Italy and France increased the most in April, by 29.2 and 21.9 percent, respectively.

Germany also recorded a double-digit growth rate of 12.6 percent. Sales in Spain grew the most modestly, by 8.2 percent.

According to ACEA data, 6,125 new cars were registered in Croatia in April, 44 percent more than in the same month last year. In March, their number increased by 61.5 percent.

Germany remains modest

In the period from January to April, the EU passenger car market grew by 17.8 percent compared to the same period last year, with 2.5 million vehicles registered, ACEA found.

In the group of leading markets, sales in Spain rose the most in the first four months of this year, by 33.7 percent.

Italy and France follow with sales growth of 26.9 and 16.7 percent, respectively. Finally, the most modest growth was recorded by Germany, at a rate of 7.9 percent, still modest compared to the rest of the 'four.'

According to ACEA data, 19,284 new cars were registered in Croatia in the period from January to April, 38.8 percent more than in the same period last year.

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January 25, 2023 - The conventional vehicle sales market in Croatia is stepping into the digital era. The Chiriboo platform is backed by well-known faces of the automotive, financial, and developer scene, including Juraj Sebalj, Darin Jankovic, Marko Stojakovic, Mladen Herceg, and Damir Skrtic.

As Poslovni writes, digitization has changed how we buy and is slowly making its way into the automotive industry. Of course, everyone still likes to look at cars physically before buying one. But that, too should change with new digital solutions, and one of these, a local one, should be on the market within a month.

"We developed the first regional digital platform for presenting and selling cars. This is our answer to the industry's requirements, which should significantly simplify and shorten the purchase time," said Darin Jankovic, CEO of Chiriboo, at the first public presentation of the platform.

Compare and decide

It will make it easier for the industry by bringing in new customers inclined to digital tools, added Jankovic, without the need for them to invest in developing their own solutions and marketing. In addition to the presentation and purchase of a car, Chiriboo also provides an overview of various financing and insurance options.

Juraj Sebalj, general manager of Chiriboo and one of the best experts on the car market, complained that buying a car can take too much time. "With the Chiriboo platform, you can do it in only seven minutes," demonstrated Sebalj in front of the many gathered participants of the event.

In addition to the visual display of the car, which can be rotated 360 degrees, the users can change the colour and rims. They also receive all the technical data and information on additional equipment for each model.

Another advantage of the digital platform is the compare tool for filtering, so the user can easily and quickly get an overview of, for example, all hybrids, all cars in the Golf class, or those with a trunk larger than 600 liters... Or they can opt to compare options by power, consumption, etc.

"In addition to technical information, you can compare much more complex categories such as comfort, safety, entertainment, connectivity, dimensions, performance, exterior, interior, drive.

The goal is to expand

But the most important thing is that by using Chiriboo, the user immediately receives information on whether the desired car is available, as well as a price calculator that contains financing and insurance offers," explained Sebalj. The engine of the platform, Jankovic added, is the database. It works based on official car price lists, which will be regularly checked and updated.

The platform, explained the CEO of Chiriboo, will be free for the customers. "We will create several categories to give users certain privileges, but we will do that in the second phase. We will finance ourselves by participating in the success of our partners," said Jankovic. Their partners are general representatives and their dealers.

To begin with, by the end of the year, they hope to take a few percent of the car sales market, but their hopes are truly high because all research shows that the online sales market will grow, as well as the overall market, which with 240 billion dollars, according to estimates, should rise to 722 billion by 2030.

Also, the Chiriboo team is not only counting on conquering the domestic market but, much more broadly, specifically, the Adriatic region. First, the expansion should start in Slovenia, and they are working on entering foreign markets through franchises. For now, they explain, they have about five major foreign competitors, and they all focus on the German market. Chiriboo is a platform that was developed in a year and a half.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

January 7, 2023 - According to data from Promocija plus for 2022, last year was not brilliant for the automotive industry in Croatia. Check out which cars Croatia loved the most in 2022, with a few surprises making the list.

As Poslovni / Večernji write, only 44,088 new passenger cars were sold in Croatia, 1,201 less than in 2021, when 45,289 newly registered cars arrived on the roads.

Last year, Covid-19 did not shake the world or Croatia, so the 2.65 percent lower sales are not due to the pandemic but the halt in the production and deliveries of cars.

It should also be noted that some cars have been sold but have not yet been delivered to customers, so they do not show up in these statistics. The last month of the year with 2,703 cars sold was the second weakest in 2022, just behind November, which recorded only 2,698 newly registered cars.

All brands faced problems, although some more than others. Volkswagen retained the first place, which it has strongly defended for years, selling 5,288 new cars last year. This result allowed them to occupy 11.99 percent of the Croatian market.

In second place is the Czech brand from the same German Group, Škoda, with a total of 4,506 cars sold (10.22 percent of the market). It's no secret that Škoda's strength is supported by the police, to whose ranks more than 500 Octavias were delivered last year, but ordinary customers have also recognised the good value for money for years. The third place in terms of sales in Croatia was taken by Kia, whose cars 3,413 of Croatian customers decided to buy (7.74 percent market share).

Next in the Croatian top 10 are Opel (3291 cars, 7.46% of the market), Dacia (3217, 7.30%), Toyota (2938, 6.66%), Renault (2612, 5.92%), Hyundai (2314, 5.25%), Suzuki (1785, 4.05%) and Peugeot (1636, 3.71%).

Interestingly, there are even three premium brands in the top 15 - Audi in 12^th place with 1,578 newly registered units, followed by Mercedes with 1,208 vehicles and BMW in 15^th place with 1,156 units newly registered last year.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

November 24, 2022 - A public car auction will take place on Saturday, 26 November, at Zagreb Velesajam (Zagreb Fairgrounds). The auction system is buy-as-is. The vehicles are untested, possibly defective, or incomplete, and the seller does not guarantee the correctness of the mileage on the vehicles. The auction will be carried out through a buy-as-is system, which excludes the possibility of subsequent objections.

As Poslovni writes, an auction of used vehicles at the Zagreb Fair will be held on November 26, 2022, in the Brijuni hall, starting at 9:00 a.m. All vehicles can be inspected on November 24 and 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Velika Mlaka at 1 Nikole Kramarića Street. Examples of vehicles sold can be viewed in the gallery put together by Poslovni.

All persons have the right to attend and participate with the obligation to pay a deposit of 10 percent of the starting price for each vehicle or a minimum of HRK 500 (€66.36). When making a payment, it is mandatory to indicate the vehicle for which the deposit is paid.

A person who pays a deposit for a particular vehicle and the same vehicle is not auctioned is considered to have abandoned the purchase and thereby loses the right to refund the paid deposit.

The vehicles are untested, possibly defective, or incomplete, and the seller does not guarantee the correctness of the mileage on the vehicles. The auction will be carried out through a buy-as-is system, which excludes the possibility of subsequent objections.

During the public auction, the starting prices can be raised by a minimum amount of HRK 200 (€26.54). The exit invoice is issued exclusively in the name of the natural or legal person who auctioned the vehicle. If the paid vehicle is not picked up within seven days after the auction, a lien fee of HRK 50 (€6.36) is charged for each subsequent day.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Lifestyle section.

April the 20th, 2022 - The number of brand new cars being registered in the Republic of Croatia has increased by 17.5 percent, at least according to the last available data which is for 2021.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, last year, there were 2.38 million registered road vehicles in the Republic of Croatia, which is 3.2 percent more than back in 2020, with 1.8 million passenger cars registered with an increase of 2.8 percent, and the first (initial) registrations of passenger cars increased by 17.5 percent compared to 2020, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).

Last year, 151,680 road vehicles were registered for the first time, which is an increase of 14.4 percent compared to 2020.

Unlike the 2020 results, when the decline in the number of road vehicles registered for the first time in this country was directly affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, last year saw the registrations of all types of vehicles across the country, with the exception of mopeds.

The first registrations of personal vehicles last year across the country stood at 112,345, equal to 17.5 percent more than the year before when there were 95,577 of the same. The increase is a result of the increase in the number of first registrations of new cars (26.1 percent) and used vehicles (14 percent). The increase in the number of cars on the roads has also unfortunately resulted in a higher number of traffic accidents.

According to CBS data, in 2021 there were 9,146 traffic accidents across the country with casualties, which is an increase of 18.6 percent compared to 2020, when 7,710 were registered.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, 6 Aug 2021 - In July 2021, 5,675 new passenger vehicles were sold in Croatia, up 10.6% on the year, while 31,778 new vehicles were sold in the first seven months of the year, an increase of 40.8%, the Promocija Plus market research agency said on Friday.

Volkswagen sold the largest number of new passenger vehicles in the first seven months of the year (4,589), accounting for 14.4% of all sales.

Škoda was second with 3,508 new cars sold, a share of 11%, and Opel was third with 2,693 cars sold, a share of 8.5%.

In July, Opel sold the most cars (679), followed by Volkswagen (258).

Petrol vehicles accounted for 54.8% of all cars sold in the first seven months of the year, followed by diesel vehicles (25.5%). Electric vehicles accounted for 1.5% of the cars sold in said period, gas vehicles for 3.8% and hybrids for 14.4%.

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ZAGREB, 23 May, 2021 - Demand for new cars in the European Union was much higher in April 2021 than in April 2020, when the pandemic had just started, but it was still lower than before the pandemic, a report by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) shows.

In April 2021, 862,226 new cars were registered in 26 EU member states (excluding Malta), which is more than triple than in April last year, when governments started to introduce strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Compared with April 2019, there were 300,000 fewer registered cars, the ACEA said.

In Italy demand was 34 times higher in April 2021 than in April 2020, in Spain it was 19 times higher, in France it was nearly seven times higher, and in Germany it nearly doubled.

Compared with April 2019, it dropped by 38% in France, by 36% in Spain, by 34% in Germany, and by a quarter in Italy.

In Croatia 4,147 new cars were registered in April 2021, nearly four times more than in April 2020. Compared with April 2019, the number decreased by 18%.

Jump in first four months

From January to April this year, demand in the EU was a quarter higher than in the same period last year, and 3.4 million new cars were registered.

Italy saw the biggest increase (+68.4%), followed by France (+51.0%), Spain (+18.8%), and Germany (+7.8%).

In Croatia, 14,621 new cars were registered in the first four months of 2021, a third more than in the same period last year.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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ZAGREB, 6 April, 2021 - A total of 4,165 new passenger cars were sold in Croatia in March 2021, an increase of 52.9% on the same month of last year, according to the data provided by the Promocija Plus market research agency.

The increase in sales is seen as the result of a more favourable buying environment than last spring when the country was under tighter restrictions to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

In the first three months of this year, Volkswagen sold the most new cars in Croatia - 1,810, accounting for 17.2% of total sales. It was followed by Škoda with 1,408 vehicles sold and a market share of 13.4%, Hyundai (414 vehicles, 5.8% share), Renault (595, 5.6%) and Dacia (591, 5.6%).

The Škoda Octavia remained the best selling model, with 214 units sold in March, ahead of the Dacia Duster (192 vehicles), the VW T-Cross ( 167), the VW Golf (143) and the VW T-Roc (137). Thirty-one Teslas, 18 Porches and 2 Ferraris were also sold last month.

Since the start of the year, 5,535 buyers (52.6%) bought petrol vehicles, 3,053 (29%) opted for diesel-fuelled vehicles, 141 (1.3%) chose electric cars, 323 (3.1%) purchased vehicles powered by natural gas, and 1,467 (13.9%) preferred hybrids.

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ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - A total of 3,439 new passenger cars were sold in Croatia in February 2021, 4.2% fewer than in the same month in 2020, according to the data released by the Promocija Plus market research agency on Friday.

In January 2021, 2,915 new cars were sold, a decrease of 19.7% compared with January 2020. The January drop affected cumulative data for the first two months of 2021, when a total of 6,345 vehicles were sold, or 12.95% fewer than in January-February 2020.

In the first two months of this year the best-selling car make was Volkswagen, with 1,187 units sold and a market share of 18.68%. The only other carmaker with a market share exceeding 10% was Škoda, with 823 cars sold in the January-February period and a market share of 12.95%.

Fiat was third with 482 cars sold, followed by Dacia and Hyundai, with 328 units sold each, and Renault with 327 vehicles sold.

In February alone, the most sought-after car model was the Škoda Octavia, with 227 units sold, ahead of the Fiat Panda (215), the VW T-Roc (150), the Dacia Duster (138) and the Hyundai Tucson (126).

In January and February, 3,271 petrol cars were sold, accounting for 51.5% of total sales, while diesel vehicles accounted for 31.3% with 1,986 units sold. Also sold were 830 hybrid cars (13.1%), 193 vehicles powered by natural gas (3%) and 74 electric cars (1.2%).

ZAGREB, September 21, 2020 - Residents and visitors to the Croatian capital will tomorrow learn how Zagreb street life was historically, as the city centre banishes almost all vehicles for European Car Free Day

What would Zagreb's residents of the past think of the city if they saw it today? The Croatian capital's boundaries now extend many kilometres into the surroundings, the huge Sava river is no longer any impediment to travel. The people of the city now live on both sides. Skyscrapers score the sky and well over half a million people can be seen on its streets, roads and highways.

Apart from the size and the unfamiliar building materials, the biggest shock would probably be the speed of the city. Buses and cars race down multiple-lane avenues and trams take you into almost every neighbourhood you'd want to visit.

Kaptol, Zagreb in 1905, when almost every day looked like European Car Free Day

Tomorrow, Zagreb will return to a pace more familiar to former inhabitants as the city observes European Car Free Day. Motor vehicles will be banned from much of the city's centre between 8 am and 8 pm.

The area of the city centre observing European Car Free Day has the following boundaries; Trg bana Josipa Jelačića - Jurišićeva - Palmotićeva (western edge) - Boškovićeva (northern edge) - Hebrangova (northern edge) - Gundulićeva (eastern edge) - Ilica (northern edge) - Mesnička (eastern edge to Streljačka) - Mesnička - Demetrova - Ilirski trg - Radićeva - Trg bana Josipa Jelačića.

These streets form some of the oldest parts of Zagreb. Long have they been trodden by the pedestrians to whom they'll return tomorrow. Those travelling into the centre by car must park on the outskirts and take public transport into the heart of the city. Trams, taxis and buses will operate as normal.

Cars began to be seen more regularly in Zagreb during the first half of the 20th-century. Not so much a European Car Free Day as a Croatian Tram Free Day - the city's famous tram network wasn't nearly so developed back then. The first city in Croatia to have trams was actually Osijek, who introduced a horse-pulled tram network in 1884.

The observance of car-free days is actually over 65 years old, although originally they were introduced in response to oil crises, not for environmental reasons. The more modern reason for having such days is to return city streets to pedestrians. Car-free days have taken place independently in European nations since the mid-1990s, and it 2000 they became aligned on the fixed date of 22 September. European Car Free Day is also a car-free day in many other countries outside of Europe, although this continent is the only one to currently observe it throughout its boundaries.

All uncredited photos lie within the public domain.

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