São Paulo – Brazil has considerably expanded exports of completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles from January to September this year. Regarding the first nine months of last year, the carmakers installed in the country sold 75,194 light vehicles, buses and disassembled lorries outside Brazil. In the same period this year, exports totalled 201,790 units. The growth was 168%. If September this year is compared to the same month last year, the growth was 184%, to 27,181 units.
The CKD movement influenced the general growth of exports and made the average price of shipments drop, according to the National Association of Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea). “It is not negative, what is being produced is exported, it is positive. They are countries that are recovering and absorbing CKD vehicles. But what is best, it’s true, is growing with assembled vehicles," said Anfavea president Cledorvino Belini, in a press conference on Thursday (7), in São Paulo.
Exports of assembled vehicles also grew, but less. From January to September, sales reached 367,734 units, against 247,871 units in the same period in 2009 – growth of 48.4%. In September alone shipments totalled 43,596 assembled vehicles, against 30,785 in the same month last year, expansion of 41.6%. The greater volume of CKD sales made Anfavea increase its export forecast. The forecast now is for foreign sales of 750,000 vehicles, against 620,000 estimated previously, in August. In 2009 exports totalled 475,000 vehicles.
The growth of CKD exports was mainly boosted by purchases made in Argentina and South Africa. According to Belini, the Anfavea decided to review export forecasts because, on addressing carmakers, it was stated that the sales should be maintained. They should also expand production. The Anfavea forecasts production of 3.6 million vehicles produced in the country, including assembled and CKD vehicles, with growth of 13.1%. Of all, 200,000 should be CKD and 3.4 million assembled.
In all, including assembled and disassembled vehicles, exports totalled 569,500 vehicles from January to September, with expansion of 76.3% over the same period in 2009. In value, foreign sales reached US$ 7.6 billion in the first nine months of this year as against US$ 4.7 billion in the same months last year. The growth was lower than the volume – 60.4% – there has already been a reduction in the average price of items exported due to the growth of CKD. "When assembled vehicles are exported, more content is put in them, more work," said Belini. "But the curve of CKD exports is good," he finished off.
The total production of vehicles in Brazil grew 17.3% from January to September, with 2.72 million units produced (assembled and CKD). In September alone, production totalled 308,100 light vehicles, lorries and buses, with growth of 12.7% over September 2009. In September, the licensing of new vehicles in the country rose 8.7% over September 2009, with 2.5 million units. In the month, 307,100 vehicles were licensed, reduction of 0.5% over the same month in 2009.
*Translated by Mark Ament
