Domestic sales of new automobiles, light and heavy duty trucks jumped by 41% year-on-year in the first half of 2004, said the Union of the Importers of Automobiles in Bulgaria (UIAB) and Hyundai importer Industrial Commerce which is not a member of the organisation. The local dealers moved a total of 3,080 new automobiles in January-June 2004. Peugeot distributor Sofia France Auto retains its market-leading position with 1,567 sales and a 15.38% share of the overall auto business. Moto Pfohe, which sells the Ford brands, finished the period second with 1,046 sales and 10.26% share of the market just ahead of Toyota dealer TM Auto which moved 1,026 units. The dealers said demand for small cars, family sedans and passenger and cargo minibuses revved up sales in the first half. Some 90% of all sales involved some kind of a lease purchase scheme. In terms of models, Skoda Fabia was the H1 best-seller with 552 sales, followed by Ford Transit with 433 and Peugeot Partner with 430. The growth on the truck segment was even higher-octane with sales jumping 80% year-on-year. Italy's IVECO sold the biggest number of trucks in H1 - 91, to snag a dominant 28% market share. Luxury carmaker Porsche is about to enter the Bulgaria auto market as a dealer of the VW cars and trucks. The concern will operate here via its Salzburg-based subsidiary Porsche Holding, which distributes VW, SEAT, Skoda and Audi vehicles in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Serbia. According to porsche.bg, however, the Virgin Islands-registered Orchid Sports Cars-Bulgaria Ltd. is the sole exclusive importer for Porsche AG (cars and spare parts) in Bulgaria. The showroom of the Porsche dealer is in the final stages of preparation and will be officially opened to the public on Saturday, July 17, 2004 . An authorised official Porsche service center, staffed with Porsche-trained personnel will begin to service cars starting from Monday, July 19, 2004 , according to the website.