weekly_edition_823

12 4.2 to 4.7.2018 Anfavea balance V ehicle sales continued to grow and recover, and totaled 207.4 thousand units in March, a 32.2% increase compared to the February result and 9.6% over the same month last year, at a pace of 9 thousand 800 units sold in 21 business days. In the accumulated quarter of January-March 545.5 thousand vehicles were licensed, 15.6%more than the result of the same period of 2018, 472 thousand units. Of the total sold in March, 200 thousand 400 cars and light commercial vehicles, 5.9 thousand trucks and 1 thousand buses, and in the quarter were sold 528.2 thousand light, 14.5 thousand trucks and 2.7 thousand buses. The highlights were again commercial vehicles, which registered growth of 50.4% and 54.2% in trucks and buses in the period. Anfavea’s president, Antônio Megale, said he expects the pace of sales in April to be higher than in March: “The volume sold in the first days of the month indicates that we can have a daily average sales above 10 thousand units in April. The is important is that, once achieved, this will be the first time a volume like this will be recorded in the first months of the year since 2015”. Still considering future expectations, Megale believes that this average monthly sales can be maintained, and even exceeded, by the end of the year: “It’s hard to make some kind of forecast right now. But I think we can get very close to 11 thousand units a month still in 2018”. The reasons for the strong sales pace, both in March and in the trimester, remain the same: political economy, more accessible credit, and increased consumer and industry confidence. In terms of inventories, the sector closed March with 230.7 thousand units, of which 150 thousand were in the yards of the concessionaires and 80.7 thousand in the automakers. This volume corresponds to 34 days of production and was considered normal by Anfevea. Average daily sales may exceed 10 thousand units in April Marcio Stefani | marcio@autodata.com.br