Brazil July 2020: VW T-Cross ends Chevrolet Onix’s 5 year domination, first SUV #1 in reeling market (-29.8%)

The VW T-Cross is the first ever SUV to top the Brazilian monthly charts.

Total Covid-19 cases almost doubled in Brazil in the past month alone to 2.9 million and lives lost are approaching the 100.000 mark (98.493), keeping the country as the 2nd most affected in the world below only the US. However large parts of the economy have reopened and the new car market posts as somewhat better hold than the previous months but still decimated at -29.8% to 163.083 in July and -37.4% to 926.337 year-to-date. Whereas it had stayed away from the top spot for almost a decade (since January 2011) before last month, Volkswagen (-12.6%) scores the best hold in the Top 10 and repeats at #1, widening the gap with Chevrolet (-30.8%) to over two percentage points of share at 19.3% vs. 17.2%. Jeep (-20.3%), Hyundai (-21.6%) and Fiat (-23.6%) also outpace the market in the remainder of the Top 10 but Nissan (-54.4%), Toyota (-51%), Honda (-47.1%), Ford (-43.7%) and Renault (-39.5%) all fall apart. Below, BMW (+57.8%), Land Rover (+30.2%), Mercedes (+29.4%) and Volvo (+9%) post market-defying surges, Mitsubishi (-8.3%) and Audi (-12.2%) resist and Chery (-19.1%) is back up two spots to #12.

The VW T-Cross follows in the footsteps of the Fusca, Brasilia and Gol…

We have an impossibly rare event in the models ranking: the VW T-Cross (+224.1%) more than triples its sales year-on-year to step up to pole position with a record 10.211 sales and 6.3% share, ending an incredible 59 consecutive months of domination by the Chevrolet Onix (-51.6%)… This means that for the first time since August 2015 the Onix is not the best-selling vehicle in Brazil. The T-Cross becomes the first Volkswagen since the Gol in December 2014 to rank #1 in Brazil, and the fourth VW nameplate to top the monthly charts alongside the Fusca (#1 annually from 1954 to 1980) and the Brasilia (#1 monthly 6 times between May 1977 and February 1979). Below the Hyundai HB20 (-14.7%) and Fiat Strada (-6.5%), the Chevrolet Tracker (+369.5%) repeats at a record 5th place thanks to the new model and the Chevrolet Onix Plus is back up 6 spots on June to #6.

Previous month: Brazil June 2020: VW signs first win in almost 10 years, T-Cross up to #3 in struggling market (-42.5%)

One year ago: Brazil July 2019: Toyota, Jeep, Chery lift market up 11.4%

Full July 2020 Top 30 brands and Top 150 models below.