Brazil Full Year 2013: VW Gol distant leader, Chevrolet Onix edges Hyundai HB20 out by 13 units, both in Top 10

The Chevrolet Onix wins its first full year contest with the Hyundai HB20 – by 13 units…

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2013 will remain the year the Brazilian new car market ended a decade of explosive growth, with sales down 2% to 3,575,935 registrations. The last time new car sales in Brazil declined year-on-year was in 2003, a completely different world back then given only 1.35 million new vehicles were registered that year in Brazil. Yep you have read right, the Brazilian market almost tripled in volume in less than 10 years… Brand-wise, Fiat keeps the lead but drops 9% to 21.3% share while Volkswagen struggled to keep its 2nd place off Chevrolet, down 13% to 18.6% share vs. +1% to 18.2% for the American manufacturer. If Ford (+4%) and Renault (-2%) remain #4 and #5 respectively, Hyundai, now a local producer with the HB20 range, almost doubles its sales year-on-year to 212,900 and goes from 3% share in 2012 to 6% this year… Toyota for its part gains 55% at #7, BMW 59%, Mercedes 25% and Land Rover 30%.

26th year on top for the VW Gol…

No surprises atop the models ranking this year: in spite of sales down 13% to 255,057 and 7.1%, the VW Gol is the best-seller for the 19th consecutive year and has now topped the Brazilian sales charts for 26 of the last 27 years, with only one interruption in 1994 by the Fiat Uno. Talking of which, the Uno takes a beating this year, down 28% to 184,362 sales but manages to remain #2 – 2014 may be a different story as the end of the first gen Uno Mille production will make a large dent into the nameplate’s sales. Down just 5%, the Fiat Palio rounds up the podium like in 2012.

The Ford Fiesta Hatch reaches its best-ever year-end ranking this year in Brazil.

Up 20% to #4 thanks to the new ‘kinetic’ generation, the Ford Fiesta Hatch reaches its best-ever year-end ranking in Brazil in the nameplate’s 18 year-career, with its previous best being #5 back in 1997. At 136,712 sales it is also the nameplate’s biggest ever year, and it beat its monthly record twice in 2013: in July (14,375) and December (16,299), also hitting a record #2 spot that month. The Fiat Siena also has an excellent year, boosted by the arrival of the Grand Siena new gen: +25% to #6 and beating its volume record in December at 13,747 units.

The JAC J2 is now the best-selling Chinese model in Brazil.

But the big news in the Brazilian Top 10 in 2013 is the simultaneous arrival of two all-new nameplates, a very rare event in a ranking traditionally extremely stable. Both launched in late 2012, were targeted at each other (along with the VW Gol and Fiat Palio), and the Chevrolet Onix and Hyundai HB20 finish the year with almost exactly the same sales total! In a 3.6 million unit-market, only 13 units (or 0.00036% market share!) separate the two models. Trailing behind since February, the Chevrolet Onix literally edges past the Hyundai HB20 in the last hours of the year, totalling 122,333 sales and 3.42100% share vs. 122,320 and 3.42064% for the HB20, ranking #8 and #9 respectively. Should GM and Hyundai be happy with these results?

The analysis continues below.

Previous post: Brazil December 2013: Ford Fiesta at highest ever #2, Fiat Siena hits record volume

One year ago: Brazil 2012: VW Gol celebrates 25 years at #1, Fiat Palio on podium

Two years ago: Brazil 2011: VW Gol leads for 24th year, Fiat Uno breaks record

More analysis, Full Year 2013 Top 200 models and Top 20 brands Ranking Tables below.