Auto sales up 12.1% in Brazil in first half-year

Car sales in Brazil increased 12.1 percent from January to July 2019 against the same period last year—1.38 million to 1.55 million vehicles. Comparing sales in July 2019 (243.6 thousand) with the same month in 2018 (217.5 thousand), the expansion reached 12 percent. From June, sales grew 9.1 percent.

The figures were released Tuesday (Aug 6) by Brazil’s car makers association Anfavea.

Assembled car exports dropped 38.4 percent from January to July compared to the same time span last year. From July 2018, sales overseas fell 15.7 percent, and went up 4.2 percent from June this year.

“We continue to face lowered exports basically because of Argentina. This month we had an uptick in exports to Colombia and Mexico which helped curb this reduction, but exports is a number we believe may generate a decline of some 29 percent,” said Anfavea President Luiz Carlos Moraes.

Important growth

The production in the seven months of 2019 is reported to increase 3.6 percent compared to the same period last year, going from 1.58 million to 1.74 million vehicles produced. The increase stood at 8.4 percent July on July. In the seven month his year, output added up to 266.4 thousand. From June, the increase was 14.2 percent.

“Production saw an important growth, in line with the increase in the domestic market, and also compatible with the new export scenario,” Moraes declared.