Argentina Full Year 2019: VW, Toyota Hilux top weakest market in 13 years (-42.7%)

The Toyota Hilux is the best-selling vehicle in Argentina in 2019.

Consult almost 60 years of Argentinean Historical Data here.

New vehicle sales in Argentina freefalls down -42.7% year-on-year in 2019 to just 459.592 units compared to over 800.000 in 2018 and a forecast of just -20% and 650.000 at the start of the year. Government subsidies unleashed from June to August did not help. This is the first time in 13 years – since 2006 and its 450.040 units – that the Argentinean market drops below the half-million mark. As a reminder the country’s all-time volume record is 955.023 hit back in 2013.

Volkswagen (-41.7%) almost exactly matches the market to conclude a full decade at the helm of the Argentinean rands ranking, but it is now threatened by Toyota (-29.2%) less then 4.500 units below and up 3 ranks on 2018 to land at #2 overall. Renault (-44.7%) suffers slightly more and drops one spot to #3 despite leading the charts from February to April, as do Chevrolet (-49.3%) and Ford (-47.1%). Jeep (-24%) sports the smallest decline in the Top 10 which it breaks into for the first time in history. Nissan (-24.9%) also resists at #8. Below, Lexus (+3550%) as well as Chinese Haval (+569.7%), Changan (+533.3%), JAC (+191.5%), Foton (+65.3%) and Shineray (+57.1%) brave the adverse conditions with stunning gains.

The VW Amarok smashes its annual ranking record to #6.

Model-wise, the Toyota Hilux (-25%) brilliantly manages the smallest decline in the Top 10, securing a third win in the past 4 years. The Ford Ka (-45.3%) and Chevrolet Onix (-45.5%) both leapfrog past the Toyota Etios (-50.8%) to top passenger car charts, with the VW Gol (-45%) returning to the Top 5 at #5. The locally-produced VW Amarok (-30.3%) slides its 2018 ranking in two, going from #12 to a record #6 and smashing its previous best annual ranking of #10 hit in 2015 and 2017, this 10 years after its launch with only minimal amends.

Pickup trucks are in fashion: the Ford Ranger (-30.3%) leaps up 5 spots to break into the Top 10 for the first time since 2008 at #10. Below, the Fiat Cronos (-20.5%) is up 9 ranks to #11, the Toyota Yaris (+292.2%) up 56 to #13 as it attempts to replace the hugely successful Etios, the Renault Duster Oroch pickup (-31.7%) is up 7 to #15, the Fiat Toro (-1.6%) up 14 to #26, the Citroen C4 Cactus (+75.7%) up 24 to #37 and the VW T-Cross (#40) is the only 2019 launch to break into the end-year Top 50.

Previous month: Argentina November 2019: Jeep (+8.6%) only Top 15 gainer in market down -35.2%

Previous year: Argentina 2018: With Hilux and Etios, Toyota scores first-ever 1-2 in market down 11%

Two years ago: Argentina 2017: VW Gol, Renault Sandero and Chevrolet Onix top market up 27%

Full Year 2019 Top 65 All-brands and Top 300 All-models vs. Full Year 2018 figures below.