Brazil’s New Car Sales Rise in February

New car sales in Brazil rose 8.6% month-over-month to 185,200 units in February 2026, with average daily registrations hitting 10,300, the second-highest for February in the past decade. Passenger car sales surged 12.3% to 140,600 units, trucks rose 3.3% to 6,700, and buses jumped 10.7% to 1,306. Light commercial vehicle sales declined 3% to 36,600. Year-over-year, total registrations edged up just 0.1%, reflecting modest growth despite strong monthly momentum and resilient consumer demand amid high interest rates.

New car sales in Brazil slumped 39% month-over-month to 170.5 thousand units in January 2026. Registration of passenger cars declined 40.6% to 125.2 thousand, while those of light commercial vehicles contracted by 33.4% to 37.7 thousand. Sales of trucks (-34.5% to 6.4 thousand) and buses (-43.6% to 1,180) also recorded steep declines. Electrified vehicles accounted for 16.8% of registrations in January, the highest share on record. On a yearly basis, th he sector started 2026 with stable performance in the domestic market, with sales virtually unchanged (-0.4%) from the same month in 2025, despite having one fewer business day on the calendar. In foreign markets, passenger car exports fell 18.3% compared with January 2025, mainly reflecting a 5% drop in shipments to Argentina.

New car sales in Brazil reached 279,400 units in December 2025, the best monthly figure in eleven years. This number represents a 17.1% jump from the prior month and an 8.5% increase compared to December 2024, mainly attributed to excess inventory. On the other hand, exports dropped 47.7% compared to November and 38.1% year-on-year, with only 18,700 unit shipped, marking the worst result since April 2020. Shipments of domestically produced vehicles grew by 32.1% in 2025, totaling 528,800 units. The main destination continued to be Argentina, driven by the economic recovery throughout the year, while shipments to Colombia increased by 85%. A slight increase of 1.3% is expected for 2026, with 536,000 units, based on the strong performance of Argentina. Imports of foreign vehicles rose by 6.6% to 498,000 units, driven by the entry of automobiles manufactured in countries without a free trade agreement with Brazil, especially China.