Production and sales of vehicles in Brazil showed a decline in October compared to September. Data released by the National Association of Automotive Manufacturers (Anfavea) this Wednesday (11) indicates that the manufacturing of automobiles, light commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses decreased by 5.1% in the month. Furthermore, registrations in the national market suffered a retraction of 5.6%.
Despite the negative performance in the monthly comparison, the indicators remained positive when analyzed against the same period in October 2025. Production registered an increase of 2.7%, while sales grew by 1.8%.
In October, the Brazilian industry manufactured 254.5 thousand vehicles. Regarding the domestic market, 265.5 thousand registrations were recorded. In the accumulated period from January to October, production reached 2.420 million units, representing an 8% increase compared to the same period last year. Sales totaled 2.522 million vehicles, which constitutes a growth of 16.1%.
A notable aspect of this scenario is the growing presence of Chinese manufacturers in the Brazilian market. According to the association, models originating from China achieved 288 thousand registrations, doubling the volume of 143 thousand Argentine vehicles. This situation marks an inversion compared to Argentina's historical leadership among sources of imported automobiles to Brazil.
The sum of the increase in imports and the reduction in exports resulted in a deficit of 157.6 thousand units in the automotive trade balance in the first ten months of 2026. Last year, the sector had registered a surplus during the same period.
Igor Calvet, president of Anfavea, commented that this outlook signals a significant change in the dynamic of Brazilian foreign trade. He also emphasized that, even with the application of a 35% import tax, Brazil ranks among the producing countries that impose few restrictions on the entry of foreign vehicles.
Parallel to the difficulties in foreign trade, electrified vehicles are expanding their participation in the Brazilian market. Between January and October 2026, 495.7 thousand units of electrified automobiles and light commercial vehicles were sold, a jump of 125.7% compared to the 2025 period. Consequently, these models came to constitute 20.5% of new light vehicle registrations in the country, up from 10.7% the previous year.
Fully electric vehicles, in turn, represent 7.4% of the sales of automobiles and light commercial vehicles in the accumulated period of 2026. Another factor cited by Anfavea as stimulating the domestic market is the Sustainable Car Program, initiated in July 2025. Since the start of this initiative, 671 thousand eligible units have been registered, with 412.8 thousand units recorded only in the first ten months of this year, an annual increase of 22.3%.
In the heavy vehicle segment, however, challenges persist. Truck sales fell by 4.1% in the accumulated period until October, and production dropped by 4.7% compared to the first ten months of 2025. According to Anfavea, the Move Brasil program helped foster demand and prevent an even sharper decline.
