01/03/2008 15h05

Car sales increase 28% in 2007 and break record

Folha de S.Paulo – 01/03/08

The car sector may celebrate the result reached last year: the number of vehicles sold closed in 2.3 million, an increase of 28% in relation to 2006, according to the data from the Renavam (National Register of Motor Vehicles). The performance of the sector in 2007 was the best ever registered and exceeded the previous record, from 1997, in more than 470 thousand units. December had the second best result per month of the year, with the sale of 231.5 thousand vehicles - in October there were 232.7 units sold. In comparison with the same month of the previous year, it was a growth of 18%. In the first fortnight alone sales reached 126 thousand vehicles, an increase of 42.7% in relation the same the period of 2006 and 13.4% in comparison with the first fortnight of November. As it is a short month, with less business days, the daily average of business in December was the best of 2007, with 11,575 units sold per day. For Sergio Reze, the president of the Fenabrave (National Federation of Automotive Vehicles Distribution), the fall of the interest rates, the control of inflation, the increase of the credit and of the terms of payment contributed for the growth of the sales of vehicles. The forecast of the Fenabrave is that the sector should keep on growing this year, but at rate smaller than 19% a year.