Car sales in 2009 already exceed the total in 2008, according to O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper

Car sales in 2009 already exceed the total in 2008, according to O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper

São Bernardo do Campo, November 27, 2009 – Vehicle sales in Brazil surpassed today – one month and three days from the year-end – the entire volume of cars licensed in 2008, setting a new record for the domestic automotive industry. This information is from the O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

Last year, a total of 2.82 million vehicles, including cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks and buses, were sold, which was the nationwide record till then. Considering the licenses issued till today, the sales volume in 2009 has beaten this record by at least 1,200 units.

The record was already broken in the cars and light commercial vehicles segment, which accounts for 95% of the sales – till Wednesday, the segment had sold 2,683,231 units, 9,549 more than in the whole of last year.

Vehicle makers should end December with sales of over 3 million units, though this week’s announcement that the cut in the Excise Tax (IPI) will be extended till March may change the plans of those planning to buy a new car to take advantage of the tax cut, which was originally scheduled to expire on January 1.

Statistics show that till Wednesday, 200,869 vehicles, including trucks and buses had been licensed this month, and 2.797.385 vehicles had been licensed so far this year, about 23,000 short of the sales in 2008. In the last two days alone, more than 24,000 vehicles had been licensed.

November’s figures are 13.4% lower than in October but 41% up on November last year, when sales nosedived due to the crisis.

With the IPI reduction continuing till March, vehicle makers expect a buoyant first quarter and a new sales record in 2010.

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