Brazilian Vehicles Market in 2025 is gaining momentum. January sales rose 4.8% to 159,371 units. The EV sector is expanding quickly, up 24.1% driven by BYD’s strong performance.
Market Trend and Outlook
Brazil’s 2025 GDP growth is forecasted to reach to 2.3%, curbed by factors such as monetary tightening. Inflation expectations have been raised to 4.8%, exceeding the central bank’s target range for the second consecutive year. This marks a slowdown from the estimated 3.5% growth in 2024, with official data set for release in March. Despite the downward revision, the government remains more optimistic than private-sector economists, who predict 2.03% growth and 5.58% inflation. The central bank projects slightly lower GDP expansion at 2.1% and inflation at 5.2%, emphasizing that economic cooling is needed to curb price pressures.
To combat inflation, interest rates were raised by 100 basis points to 13.25% in January, with another hike expected in March. The depreciation of Brazil’s currency and inflationary inertia are key factors driving price increases. The impact of U.S. trade policy under President Trump, including tariffs on Brazilian steel, remains a concern, though officials believe it will have limited macroeconomic effects. Recent data, including confidence indicators and PMIs, suggest that a gradual economic slowdown is already underway.
Automotive Industry Trend and Outlook
Building on recent year’s strong momentum, Brazil’s vehicle market started 2025 with a robust performance. Sales in January increase 4.8% in year-on-year volume, reaching 159,371 units.
Looking at cumulative data for January 2025 brand-wise, Fiat reported the most sales at 34,356 (+11.4%), followed by Volkswagen at 21,276 (-3.9%) and Chevrolet with 19,637 sales (+3.8%).
In 4th ranked, Toyota -up 1 spot- with 11,566 sales (-15.7%), followed by Hyundai -down 1 spot- at 9,891 (-30.5%), Jeep with 9,231 (+17.1%), Renault with 8,209 (+12.5%), Honda -up 1 spot- with 7,396 sales (+43.5%) and BYD -down 1 spot- with 6,587 (+53.2%).
Nissan fell 2 spots and ranked in 10th, reporting 6,536 new vehicle registrations (+7.8%).
Looking at the best-selling models, reported in the dedicated post, the Fiat Strada was still the best seller growing 9.4% in sales, followed closely by the Volkswagen Polo, down 20.1%.
EV Market Trend and Outlook
Brazil’s EV market continues its expansion in January 2025, up 24.1 to reach a 4.09% share of total vehicle sales. Growth has been fueled by Chinese automakers expanding local production, solidifying Brazil’s role as a MERCOSUR EV hub.
BYD dominated with 81.1% market share, posting impressive growth, while Great Wall ranked 2nd despite a decline. Volvo surged to 3rd, rapidly gaining traction.
Medium-Term Market Trend
The Brazilian vehicle market has experienced significant fluctuations over the past decade. After peaking in 2014, the country entered a recession, driven by political instability and falling commodity prices, leading to GDP contraction. The market saw a three-year decline, with sales dropping 19.32% in 2016, falling below the 2 million threshold. A modest economic recovery followed, helping the market grow by 7.59% in 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 triggered a deep recession, weakening consumer demand and causing light vehicle sales to dip below 2 million for the first time in the decade.
While Brazil’s economy rebounded in 2021 (GDP +5.0%), market momentum remained weak. Growth slowed to 0.9% in 2022, with rising inflation and sluggish demand. Despite concerns over rising prices, stricter safety regulations, and the shift toward electrification, 2023 saw a surprising turnaround, with vehicle sales reaching 2.18 million, an 11.3% increase from the previous year. The positive momentum continued in 2024, with a 13.9% year-on-year increase in vehicle sales, bringing the market closer to pre-pandemic levels.
Brazil’s electric vehicle (EV) market has shown steady growth in recent years, with sales surging in 2023 and expanding significantly. This remarkable trend continued into 2024, driven by foreign automakers like BYD and Chery establishing production facilities in the country. As a result, Brazil is emerging as a key regional hub for EV manufacturing in South America.
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturer Groups, and top 10 Models.
