São Paulo – Brazilian auto exports increased in volume in March and year-to-date over the same period of last year. According to data concerning Q1 2016 released this Wednesday (6) by the National Association of Automakers (Anfavea), in March, 38,500 vehicles were exported, ranging from light vehicles, trucks and buses. This number means an increase of 19.8% over the same period of 2015, when 32,100 vehicles were shipped abroad.
In Q1, 98,800 vehicles were exported, 24% more than between January and March of last year. The sharper increase in sales of vehicles abroad occurred with light vehicles. In all, 93,100 light vehicles were shipped, 26.1% more than Q1 2015. Among buses, 1,574 unities were exported, 8.4% more. And with truck, there was a decline in exports. Between January and March of this year, 4,104 unities were exported, 6.5% less in comparison to the same period of last year.
Auto exports are growing due to the dollar appreciation against the real. Besides, the manufacturers are increasing exports to compensate for a sales decline in the domestic market. Still according to the results presented by Anfavea, in the first three months of this year, 481,300 vehicles, local or imported, were licensed, 28.6% less than between January and March of 2015. The total production also dropped: 482,200 unities were manufactured year-to-date up to March, 27.8% less than the same period of 2015.
Agricultural machinery
Exports of agricultural and road machinery registered a slightly increase in March and declined year-to-date. Last month, 979 unities were shipped, between combine harvester, backhoe loader, cultivator and tractors. In March of 2015, 978 were sent abroad. In this year’s Q1, 1,811 unities were sold abroad, 23.2% less than the 2,359 unities sold in Q1 last year.
Adding up auto and agricultural and road machinery values, exports totaled USD 850.5 million in March, a decline of 7.7% in revenues in comparison to March of last year. In Q1, exports totaled USD 2.2 billion, a decline of 7.6% over the same period of 2015.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
