Brazil July 2015: Jeep Renegade teases Honda HR-V for #1 SUV

The Jeep Renegade is now among Brazil’s 20 most popular vehicles.

* See the Top 20 best-selling brands and Top 120 models by clicking on the title *

Bad news again coming from Brazil: with sales down 22% to 219.410 units in July and down 20% year-to-date to 1.489.243, we are headed towards a replay of the 1998 recession that saw the market plunge 21%. Shaky economic situation, depressed consumer confidence, rising interest rates and deep cuts to subsidies and the workforce in the automotive industry are shaping 2015 to be one of the worst years in Brazil in the past two decades. The Top 3 manufacturers continue to freefall faster than the market: Fiat (-35%), Volkswagen (-36%) and Chevrolet (-39%) still top the sales charts but lose more market share each month.

The HR-V lifts Honda sales up 12% in Brazil in a market down 22%.

Inside the Top 10, the only brands to stay afloat with positive results are Ford (+3%), Honda (+12%) and Jeep breaking another record at 4.242 sales and 1.9% share at #10. Toyota (-7%) overtakes Renault (-12%) to rank 6th. The premium Germans seem to evolve in a different planet altogether: Mercedes is up 88%, Audi up 54% and BMW up 33%. The Chinese are about to get a new leader again: JAC only has one sale (!) less than Chery year-to-date at 3.390 vs. 3.391.

Mercedes sales in Brazil are up a whopping 88% year-on-year in July.

Model-wise, we witness a similar fragmentation as in the brands ranking with the Fiat Palio (-29%) and Chevrolet Onix (-23%) dominating but losing market share while the Hyundai HB20 (-12%) resists better in third place. The Ford Ka confirms its total success in 4th place with 9.281 sales and the Renault Sandero is boosted up 26% by the new model but the VW Gol (-50%) and Fiat Uno (-36%) continue to implode. Outside the Top 10, it’s a local SUV battle: the Honda HR-V is down 3 spots on June to a still splendid #15 with 4.429 sales but is now threatened in its SUV supremacy by the Jeep Renegade, also assembled in Brazil and breaking into the domestic Top 20 for the first time at #17 and 4.028 units. The Renault Duster (#22) and Ford Ecosport (#25) are all but distant memories…

The JAC S5 is renamed T6 in Brazil.

Further down, the Peugeot 2008 (#61) and Mercedes GLA (#66) continue to shine and confirm the trend towards more up-market crossovers is here to stay in Brazil. Although Chinese nameplates have made themselves more sparse in the monthly Brazilian Top 100 (only two this month), there is a new kid on the block: while the Lifan X60 stays on top at #91 despite sales down 39% to 228 units, the JAC T6 breaks into the Top 100 for the first time at #96 with 195 deliveries, already and by far the brand’s best-seller in Brazil. The Chery QQ (#103), Tiggo (#113), Lifan Foison (#125) and Lifan 530 (#126) follow.

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One year ago: Brazil July 2014: Fiat Palio #1 again, Chevrolet Onix at VW Gol level

Full July 2015 Top 20 brands and Top 120 models below.