Car sales to exceed 2008 in first quarter
Valor Econômico 03/27/2009
This quarter's car sales will be above those registered in the same period of last year. Besides, the car industry will have to keep the accelerated pace of production in April because cry for the lower IPI (Excise Tax) caused the stocks lower to a volume below that required for the makers to work without waiting lines at the dealerships. From the beginning of January to the 25 of this month there were 606.7 thousand cars sold in the country, what represented an increase of 2.8% compared to the same period of 2008. Maintaining the daily average in the sales - a modest projection for an end of month - the quarter will close with at least 653 thousand cars sold. In the first three months of 2008, the volume amounted to 647.9 thousand units.
In the first half of this month, the sales of Ford increased 47.3% compared to the same period of 2008. With more vigor, the maker was able to increase its participation in the market from 10% to 12%. The best financing conditions started attracting the car rental companies as well. They had suspended the purchases since the end of last year. Paulo Soares, an Avis franchisee in Salvador, used to buy cars every month to renew the fleet. But the credit crisis caused him to suspend the purchases. "Now the banks signal they want to lend again", he says. "It is time to get back to the market", he completes. It is possible that the pace of the sales decreases from now on bearing in mind the reduced IPI has been extended for another three months. But, even though, the industry will need to keep the accelerated production, because the stocks have lowered in the last days. The good performance of the domestic market in March was one of the reasons for the decrease in the stocks. Until the 25 of this month, 209.9 thousand cars were sold in the country. Taking into account the average sales throughout the month, of 11.6 thousand units a day, March will close with a volume of nearly 256 thousand units, which is equivalent to an increase of nearly 10% compared to the same month of 2008.