Brazil March 2019: Chevrolet (+18.8%), Renault (+14.8%), Chery (+304%) survive first market decline since April 2017

Renault Logan sales surge 140.2% year-on-year in March.

New car sales in Brazil suddenly hit the brakes in March, marking the first year-on-year decline since April 2017 (23 months) at -0.2% year-on-year to 199.550 units. Thanks to an outstanding start of the year, the Q1 volume remains largely in positive at a round +10% to 580.040, but the momentum the Brazilian market had shown over the past two years is now well and truly cut short, even if this could potentially be the result of carnival week being held in March instead of February this year. Chevrolet (+18.8%) is oblivious to this sudden chill and remains the most popular brand, just as Volkswagen (+0.7%) and Fiat (+2.7%) also return positive scorecards on the podium. Renault (+14.8%) posts a spectacular gain at #4 and Toyota (+1.3%) rounds up a Top 5 entirely growing. Where does the market drop come from then? It’s Kia (-49.9%), Land Rover (-33.3%), Audi (-32.1%), Peugeot (-26.8%), Mitsubishi (-24.8%), Honda (-22.4%), Nissan (-21.7%), Suzuki (-21%) and Ford (-16.8%) that put a damper on the market, just as Chery (+304%), Volvo (+34.7%), Jeep (+19.9%), BMW (+15.6%) and Citroen (+14.2%) remain strong.

The Onix (+41.5%) helps Chevrolet up 18.8%.

Model-wise, the Chevrolet Onix (+41.5%) enjoys a 44th consecutive month at #1 (no interruption since August 2015) with the added luxury of an outstanding year-on-year surge. In contrast the Hyundai HB20 (-1.8%) and Ford Ka (-14.9%) both start panting on the podium. The Jeep Renegade (+45.4%), Fiat Toro (+41.9%), VW Gol (+12.6%) and Chevrolet Prisma (+7.6%) are the other gainers in the Top 10 just as the VW Polo (-17.4%), Renault Kwid (-9.3%) and Fiat Strada (-5.5%) suffer. Outside the Top 10, the Renault Logan (+140.2%), Chevrolet Spin (+55.5%) and Renault Duster (+51.7%) stand out, the Toyota Yaris Sedan (#21) tops new launches above the Yaris Hatch (#25), Citroen C4 Cactus (#49), Chery Tiggo 5X (#69) and Chery Tiggo 2 (#65), also the two best-selling Chinese nameplate in Brazil.

Previous month: Brazil February 2019: Fiat (+65.9%), Chery (+334.4%) headline market up for 22nd straight month at +25.2%

One year ago: Brazil March 2018: Chevrolet struggles, VW, Renault and Nissan up

Full March 2019 Top 20 brands and Top 150 models below.