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Heavy vehicle production overcomes 2021 volume

Despite the semiconductors' supply crisis in 2022, the industry registered a 2% growth in truck production and 67% in buses

By Décio Costa | Translated by Jorge Meditsch

Last year’s production numbers released by Anfavea show that, despite the lack of semiconductors, the industry managed the shortage to close the year with positive results.

According to the manufacturers’ association data released this Friday, 1/6, 161.8 thousand trucks left the assembly lines last year, 1.9% more than in 2021, when 158.8 thousand units were manufactured. In December, the number reached 14.1 thousand, 16% over the same month one year before.

After two years of slow recovery, the bus segment, the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, finished the year with a higher volume than before the health crisis.

In the 12 months of 2022, the bus chassis production reached 31.6 thousand units, a 67.7% increase over 2022 (18.8 thousand). In 2019, 27.7 chassis were produced.

“It was a challenging year for production and logistics. I had never seen anything like it, especially in the first semester, when many brands halted production for the lack of semiconductors”, told Gustavo Bonini, Anfavea’s vice president, at the automotive sector’s balance presentation. “It is still not a stroll in the park yet, but conditions have improved”, he said.

Anfavea projects a lower heavy vehicle production in 2023

Despite the better situation regarding components supply, Anfavea expects a fall in heavy vehicle production in 2023. The association’s first projection for the year foresees a fall of about 20% to 154 thousand trucks and buses.

According to Bonini, the lower projection is based on Proconve’s rules change history. In previous similar situations, to protect themselves from inevitable price increases, the transporters anticipated the fleet renovation during the months before the new rules began, reducing demand in the next period.

“This time, we could not confirm the numbers, but purchase anticipation may have occurred. And there is also a prevision of high interests and difficulty to obtain credit”, he said.