Vehicle production shows a timid reaction

By Alzira Rodrigues | 3/6/23 | Translated by Jorge Meditsch

The Brazilian vehicle production in the first bimester reached 313.8 thousand units, a small growth of 0.8% over the same period last year when 311.4 thousand vehicles left the plants.

At the release of the bimester’s data this Monday, 2/6, Anfavea’s president, Márcio de Lima Leite, said the stoppage of some plants harmed the performance in February due to the lack of semiconductors (as Volkswagen’s plants in São Bernardo do Campo, SP and São José dos Pinhais, PR), or adjusts in assembly lines. Another factor was that the month had just 18 working days, one less than February 2022.

“The semiconductors ghost did not leave us yet”, said Leite. Last month 161.2 thousand vehicles were produced, 2.9% less than in February 2022 (165.9 thousand) but 5.6% more than in January, when there were collective vacations in various manufacturers.

In the bimester, light vehicle production grew this year by 4.3% to 287.2 thousand units, while trucks fell by 41.6% to 12.2 thousand units, and buses fell by 37.3% to 2,057 chassis.

Anfavea’s president considers positive the data regarding the internal market, considering the restrictions caused by the offer (due to the lack of components) and demand (limited credit and high-interest rates). He informed that the average of 7.2 thousand units a day was 11% higher than the 6.5 thousand units a day in January.

In opposition to the internal market, exports in the first bimester, with 67.4 thousand shipments, fell by 2.6% compared to last year’s first two months.