Page 57 - 60 YEARS NISSAN NIC. J. THEOCARAKIS S.A.

1971-1980 The momentum of growth
The 240Z, designed by the German Albrecht Goertz, a car of indisputable racing credentials, triumphed in the Safari Rally in 1971 and 1973, demonstrating speed, resilience and reliability. Above, a 240Z from the Historic Model Collection
of Nic. J. Theocarakis S.A.
Moreover, the Law we are referring to here exempted 4x4s from the excise duty and taxed them as «light trucks».
Three years later, in the summer of 1979, when, due to the rise in oil prices, the balance of payments had received a heavy blow, harsh measures were taken to the detriment of the car market. We are referring to Law 4/4.7.1979, under which the excise tax and the one-off additional fee were increased. The market was disrupted overnight since the provisions of the Law entered into force the very next day of its publication. Thus the retail prices increased by 65%! This resulted in plummeting sales, according to estimates, by nearly 90% in the second half of 1979 in certain categories, while consumers turned to pickup trucks, which benefited from a more favourable tax and tariff regime.
In 1980, car sales decreased significantly due to the measures introduced in 1979. As expected, this lead to a mass import
57
1979-1986
In July of 1979, as an extraordinary measure due to the oil crisis, the “odd-even” system was launched, where cars entered the city centre depending on the ending number of their license plates, a measure which was not intended to be permanent. It was adopted as a permanent measure on the 2nd of November 1982, and four years later the city Traffic Ring was introduced.