Brazil April 2016: Fiat Toro 2nd best-selling pickup, Mobi in Top 40

Both Pickup and SUV, the Fiat Toro is a total success in Brazil. 

* See the Top 20 best-selling brands and Top 140 models by clicking on the title *

No sign of recovery for the Brazilian market with April deliveries down 26% year-on-year to 157.579 and down 28% year-to-date to 622.620 units. Brand-wise, Chevrolet leads the way and follows the market at -24% to 16,4% share, ahead of Fiat (-35%) and Volkswagen (-32%) both in great difficulty. Hyundai stands out with sales down just 3%, the result of a shift to local production a few years back. Toyota (-11%) also fares well in the Top 5 but Ford tumbles down 46% and both Renault (-23%) and Honda (-22%) only lose slightly less ground than the market. The bright-shining light is once again Jeep: thanks to the locally produced Renegade, the American brand is up 414% to consolidate its spot within the Brazilian Top 10 at #9 with 4.182 sales. Just outside the Top 10 at #11 Peugeot manages to deliver an outstanding 35% year-on-year gain.

The Fiat Mobi is already having an impact on the top of the Brazilian sales charts. 

In the models ranking, both the Chevrolet Onix (+21%) and Hyundai HB20 (+12%) continue to display insolent health atop the sales charts, posting double-digit gains where the market is stuck at double-digit declines. The VW Gol surprises with a return on the podium thanks to sales down just 13% due to a reshuffle in Fiat’s lineup. The arrival of the Mobi (#38 with 1.062 sales) has hurt the Palio greatly: it is down 54% to #11, while the Uno is even more harshly hit at -61% to #17. The Gol has therefore taken advantage of a vacuum left at the bottom of Fiat’s lineup and the Palio loses the #3 YTD spot to the Ford Ka in the process.

The Toyota Corolla hits a record 4th place overall in Brazil this month. 

Meanwhile the Toyota Corolla continue to discreetly climb up the ladder, now reaching an incredible 4th place overall thanks to sales up 1% to 5.825. This is simply the Corolla’s best-ever monthly ranking in Brazil throughout a career that spans over three decades. Let’s not forget the Honda HR-V consistent at the highest levels with another #5 spot this month. Another very significant shift happening before our eyes in a Brazilian market that has never evolved so fast: the Fiat Toro surges to #13 to become the 2nd best-selling pickup in the country (3.954) below just the Fiat Strada (5.427). The Toro thus frankly outsells such blockbusters as the VW Saveiro (3.042), Toyota Hilux (2.744), Chevrolet S10 (1.871) and VW Amarok (968). The Renault Oroch (1.179) is also starting to make its mark on the Brazilian stage.

The JAC T5 (aka Refine S3) has landed in Brazil.

Chinese manufacturers had made themselves rather discreet in the past few months, but in April we see the return of JAC inside the Top 20 brands at #19 with 280 sales – albeit amounting to a 34% decline – outselling Lifan at #20 and 262 (-38%). There is one reason behind this resurgence: the launch of the T5 SUV which is none other than the Refine S3 – an absolute blockbuster at home in China. The JAC T5 breaks into the Brazilian Top 100 for the first time in April at #91 with 152 sales, also becoming the best-selling Chinese nameplate in the country above the Lifan X60 (#98) and Chery Celer (#114).

Previous month: Brazil March 2016: Honda HR-V up to #4, Fiat Toro at Toyota Hilux level

One year ago: Brazil April 2015: Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade take off

Full April 2016 Top 20 brands and Top 140 models below.