Car sales improve in April, but fall to 21.4% in the four-month period

The numbers are still not good, but sales of light and heavy vehicles in April show signs of improvement. 147,256 units were sold in the last month, up 0.3% compared to March, which had two more business days. The data are based on Renavan (National Registry of Motor Vehicles).

It is necessary to consider the impact of optional points on Tiradentes weekend, with Carnival in several cities. There was, therefore, an evolution in the daily average of license plates, which went from 6,991 to 7,750 units/day in the period.

The slight improvement now, however, is still far from offsetting the sector’s losses in 2022. Compared to April 2021, there was a 15.9% drop in vehicle sales. The first four months ended with 552,924 licensed units, which means a retraction of 21.4% compared to the same period last year.

In the view of Anfavea (association of automakers), the expectation for a new reduction of the IPI (Tax on Industrialized Products) may have dammed sales in April, preventing a better result.

But the second round of tax cuts did not cover the automotive sector, and a market reaction is now expected in May — despite lingering problems related to a global semiconductor shortage.

Although timid, the recovery signal issued by the automotive market is seen as a good omen by Anfavea, which is now entering a new leadership cycle.

This Monday (2), takes place the inauguration ceremony of the new president of the entity, Márcio de Lima Leite. He replaces Luiz Carlos Moraes, who returns to dedicate himself exclusively to Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, where he holds the position of director of corporate communication and institutional relations.

For the first time, the vice-presidency of Anfavea will be occupied by a woman. It will be Marina Willisch, vice president of government relations at GM.

Leite is the legal and institutional relations director of the Stellantis group in South America. The lawyer has been with the company since June 2000, when he joined Fiat. Those were different times, even before the merger of the Italian brand with Chrysler, which was consolidated in early 2014.

The new president of Anfavea also underwent a second mega-merger, which gave rise to Stellantis. The company created in 2021 brings together 14 brands: Fiat, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, RAM, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Opel, Vauxhall and Lancia.

Leite has a conciliatory profile, a characteristic that should mark his management at the head of Anfavea. The entity has been going through turmoil for some time, with many dissonant voices. There are associates who, for example, argue that there should be an executive director who comes from the market, with no connection with the automakers.

The internal problems, however, are smaller given the reality of the market. Moraes’ administration was marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and the worsening economic crisis. The former president of the automakers association did not hold back from criticizing the decisions of Minister Paulo Guedes’ team, but he was always heard by the government.

Leite should continue the movement of rapprochement with Brasília, strengthening the institutional relationship. Historically, Anfavea does not reveal political support.

Proof of this stance is the choice for the tenure sites. In addition to the ceremony on Monday (2) in a hotel in São Paulo, there will be a second event in the Federal District, on Tuesday night (3).