The Brazilian automotive industry is coordinated by the Associação Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veículos Automotores (Anfavea), created in 1956, which includes automakers (cars, light vehicles, trucks, buses and agriculture machines) with factories in Brazil. Anfavea is part of the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA), based in Paris. In 2021, the annual production exceeded 2.2 million vehicles, the 8th largest in the world.
Most large global automotive companies are present in Brazil, such as: BMW, BYD, Chery, Ford, Geely, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, JAC, Jaguar Land Rover, Lifan, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Stellantis, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, among others, as well as national companies such as Agrale, Marcopolo, Randon, and more. In the past there were national brands such as DKW Vemag, FNM, Gurgel, and Troller. Some traditionally produced modern equipped replicas of older models.
History
The first Brazilian automotive industry was the work of Henry Ford, who started the Brazilian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company in 1919. In 1921 Ford opened its own production facility and was followed by General Motors in 1926. In 1928, Ford established the Fordlândia, an industrial district in the Amazon rainforest. The district is no longer in use but saw a populational growth compared to the early 2000s, when roughly 90 people lived in the town.Sydney A. Latini, A Implantação da Indústria Automobilística no Brasil, Editora Alaúde, 2007, p. 92
In 1956, the Romi-Isetta, an early Brazilian car, was initially produced, with license purchase of Italian Iso. In 1958, Toyota started to produce its famous Bandeirante. In 1959, the first Volkswagen factory was built, it started manufacturing the Type 2, which preceded the famous Beetle. At the same time, a Brazilian entrepreneur, Mr. Sebastiao William Cardoso, started producing an electrical small jeep called Tupi.Jeep called Tupi
In the late 1950s, Chevrolet and Ford started manufacturing pickup trucks, and in the 1960s, automobiles and commercial vehicles, GM also brought buses. In 1967, Puma began selling sports cars. The Italian Fiat established its first factory in the 1970s, and Mercedes-Benz started to produce trucks and buses during the 1950s, and opened an automobile factory in 1998. These companies dominated the Brazilian market until mid-1990s, when the Brazilian market was finally opened to imports. In the 1990s, more auto companies settled and opened factories in Brazil.
The automotive industry in Brazil sells to all over Latin America and the world. In the last few years, the Brazilian auto industry has grown quickly, attracting investments from the main global automakers. In 2007, production grew 14% compared to 2006 figures, reaching more than 4 million vehicles.
In October 2012, the Inovar-Auto Program was approved by decree with the theoretical goals of encouraging automakers to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles and investing in the national automotive industry, by managing taxation exceptions (IPI = Tax over Industrialized Product). However, the program has received criticism, especially of protectionism. The country has recently lost a WTO dispute against tax advantages and illegal practices of protectionism. The Inovar-Auto program ended in December 2017 and was replaced by the Route 2030 Program.
Timeline 1890s
1900s
1910s 1911: The first Brazilian automotive magazine, "Revista de Automóveis", was launched in Rio de Janeiro by the Automóvel Clube do Brasil, founded by Santos Dumont; the collection can be observed in the Automotive Press Museum (Miau), in São Paulo. 1908-1913: The first trip by car from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo was in 1908. The first trip by car from São Paulo to Curitiba was in 1913. 1917: By now, the State of São Paulo had a fleet of 2,600 motor vehicles. In 1918, the first female driver in São Paulo, the wife of the commander of the Port of Santos, operated her automobile under protest from traditional families. 1919: The first automotive industry of Brazil was implemented by Henry Ford. Ford's head office in the United States opens a statewide branch, with initial capital of . Model T and TT trucks began to be assembled in São Paulo.
1920s
1930s 1930: Ford was followed by concurrent General Motors with the assembly of the first Chevrolet cars in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, there until today, at Avenida Goiás.
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Historical production by year YearQuantity< 0.5 0.5 – 1 millions1 – 2 millions2 – 3 millions3 – 4 millions1950 – 1960133,000 1970416,089 19801,165,174 1990914,466 20001,681,517 20052,530,840 20062,611,034 20072,970,818 20083,220,475 20093,182,617 20103,381,728 20113,406,150 20123,402,508 20133,712,380 20143,364,890 20152,429,463 20162,157,379 20172,699,672 20182,880,724 20192,944,962 20202.014.055 2021 2,248,253 2022 2,370,000 2023 2,320,000 2024 2,553,000 2025 2,644,000
Historical sales Source : BSCB, Fenabrave Year Models and Ranking Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 1977 Volkswagen Fusca Volkswagen Brasilia Volkswagen Passat Ford Corcel Chevrolet Chevette Fiat 147 not available 1977 1978 Volkswagen Fusca Volkswagen Brasilia Fiat 147 Volkswagen Passat Chevrolet Chevette Ford Corcel not available 1978 1979 Volkswagen Fusca Volkswagen Brasilia Fiat 147 Volkswagen Passat Chevrolet Chevette Ford Corcel not available 1979 1980–1987 not available 1988 Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Monza Ford Escort Chevrolet Chevette Fiat Uno Volkswagen Voyage Volkswagen Santana Volkswagen Parati Ford Del Rey Chevrolet Opala 1988 1989 Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Monza Ford Escort Fiat Uno Chevrolet Chevette Volkswagen Santana Volkswagen Parati Volkswagen Voyage Chevrolet Kadett Chevrolet D-20 1989 1990 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Chevrolet Monza Volkswagen Parati Chevrolet Kadett Volkswagen Voyage Ford Verona Ford Escort Chevrolet Chevette Volkswagen Santana 1990 1991 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Chevrolet Monza Ford Escort Chevrolet Kadett Ford Verona Volkswagen Parati Volkswagen Apollo Volkswagen Santana Chevrolet Chevette 1991 1992 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Chevrolet Monza Chevrolet Kadett Volkswagen Parati Ford Escort Chevrolet Chevette Volkswagen Santana Ford Verona Fiat Tempra 1992 1993 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Ford Escort Chevrolet Kadett Chevrolet Monza Volkswagen Logus Volkswagen Parati Chevrolet Chevette Fiat Tempra Volkswagen Santana 1993 1994 Fiat Uno Volkswagen Gol Ford Escort Fiat Tipo Chevrolet Corsa Chevrolet Monza Chevrolet Kadett Fiat Tempra Volkswagen Logus Volkswagen Parati 1994 1995 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Chevrolet Corsa Ford Escort Fiat Tipo Volkswagen Golf Fiat Tempra Chevrolet Kadett Volkswagen Santana Chevrolet Monza 1995 1996 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Chevrolet Corsa (Hatch) Fiat Palio Ford Escort Ford Fiesta Chevrolet Vectra Chevrolet Kadett Volkswagen Santana Fiat Tempra 1996 1997 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Chevrolet Corsa (Hatch) Fiat Uno Ford Fiesta Chevrolet Vectra Volkswagen Parati Ford Ka Volkswagen Kombi Fiat Palio Weekend 1997 1998 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Chevrolet Corsa Fiat Uno Chevrolet Vectra Ford Ka Ford Fiesta Ford Escort Volkswagen Parati Volkswagen Polo 1998 1999 Volkswagen Gol not available 1999 2000 Volkswagen Gol not available 2000 2001 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Fiat Uno Chevrolet Celta Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Chevrolet Corsa (Hatch) Ford Fiesta Fiat Palio Weekend Fiat Siena Volkswagen Golf 2001 2002 Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Corsa Fiat Palio Chevrolet Celta Fiat Uno Ford Fiesta Renault Clio Peugeot 206 Chevrolet Astra Fiat Siena 2002 2003 Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Corsa Fiat Palio Chevrolet Celta Fiat Uno Ford Fiesta Renault Clio Fiat Siena Chevrolet Astra Toyota Corolla 2003 2004 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Chevrolet Corsa Chevrolet Celta Fiat Uno Ford Fiesta Volkswagen Fox Fiat Siena Chevrolet Astra Ford EcoSport 2004 2005 Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Corsa Fiat Palio Chevrolet Celta Fiat Uno Ford Fiesta Volkswagen Fox Ford EcoSport Fiat Siena Fiat Strada 2005 2006 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Chevrolet Celta Fiat Uno Volkswagen Fox/Cross Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Fiat Siena Ford Fiesta (Hatch) Ford EcoSport Fiat Strada 2006 2007 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Fiat Uno Volkswagen Fox/Cross Chevrolet Celta Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Fiat Siena Ford Fiesta (Hatch) Fiat Strada Chevrolet Prisma 2007 2008 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Fiat Uno Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Chevrolet Celta Volkswagen Fox/Cross Fiat Siena Fiat Strada Honda Civic Ford Ka 2008 2009 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Palio Fiat Uno Chevrolet Celta Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Volkswagen Fox/Cross Fiat Siena Fiat Strada Volkswagen Voyage Ford Ka 2009 2010 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Chevrolet Celta Volkswagen Fox/Cross Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Fiat Palio Fiat Siena Fiat Strada Ford Fiesta (Hatch) Ford Ka 2010 2011 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Chevrolet Celta Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Volkswagen Fox/Cross Fiat Strada Fiat Palio Fiat Siena Volkswagen Voyage Ford Fiesta (Hatch) 2011 2012 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Fiat Palio Volkswagen Fox/Cross Chevrolet Celta Fiat Strada Ford Fiesta (Hatch) Fiat Siena Chevrolet Corsa (Sedan) Renault Sandero 2012 2013 Volkswagen Gol Fiat Uno Fiat Palio Ford Fiesta (Hatch) Volkswagen Fox/Cross Fiat Siena Fiat Strada Chevrolet Onix Hyundai HB20 Renault Sandero 2013 2014 Fiat Palio Volkswagen Gol Fiat Strada Chevrolet Onix Fiat Uno Hyundai HB20 Ford Fiesta Fiat Siena Volkswagen Fox/Cross Renault Sandero 2014 2015 Chevrolet Onix Fiat Palio Hyundai HB20 Fiat Strada Ford Ka (Hatch) Volkswagen Gol Volkswagen Fox/Cross Fiat Uno Renault Sandero Chevrolet Prisma 2015 2016 Chevrolet Onix Hyundai HB20 Ford Ka (Hatch) Chevrolet Prisma Toyota Corolla Fiat Palio Renault Sandero Volkswagen Gol Fiat Strada Honda HR-V 2016 2017 Chevrolet Onix Hyundai HB20 Ford Ka (Hatch) Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Prisma Renault Sandero Toyota Corolla Fiat Strada Fiat Mobi Fiat Toro 2017 2018 Chevrolet Onix Hyundai HB20 Ford Ka (Hatch) Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Prisma Volkswagen Polo Renault Kwid Fiat Strada Fiat Argo Jeep Compass 2018 2019 Chevrolet Onix Ford Ka (Hatch) Hyundai HB20 Renault Kwid Volkswagen Gol Fiat Argo Fiat Strada Chevrolet Prisma Volkswagen Polo Jeep Renegade 2019 2020 Chevrolet Onix (Hatch) Ford Ka (Hatch) Hyundai HB20 Chevrolet Onix Plus Fiat Strada Volkswagen Gol Fiat Argo Volkswagen T-Cross Jeep Renegade Fiat Toro 20202021 Fiat Strada Hyundai HB20 Fiat Argo Jeep Renegade Chevrolet Onix (Hatch) Jeep Compass Fiat Toro Volkswagen Gol Fiat Mobi Hyundai Creta 20212022 Fiat Strada Hyundai HB20 Chevrolet Onix Chevrolet Onix Plus Fiat Mobi Volkswagen Gol Chevrolet Tracker Volkswagen T-Cross Fiat Argo Jeep Compass 20222023 Fiat Strada Volkswagen Polo Chevrolet Onix Hyundai HB20 Chevrolet Onix Plus Fiat Mobi Volkswagen T-Cross Fiat Argo Chevrolet Tracker Hyundai Creta 20232024 Fiat Strada Volkswagen Polo Chevrolet Onix Hyundai HB20 Fiat Argo Volkswagen T-Cross Chevrolet Tracker Hyundai Creta Fiat Mobi Nissan Kicks 20242025 Fiat Strada Volkswagen Polo Fiat Argo Volkswagen T-Cross Hyundai HB20 Chevrolet Onix Hyundai Creta Fiat Mobi Volkswagen Saveiro Jeep Compass2025 Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th Year See also: Best-selling models in
Motor vehicle manufacturers
Current passenger automobiles BMW Group BMW Mini Bugre BYD General Motors do Brasil Chevrolet Great Wall Motors Grupo CAOA CAOA Chery Exeed Grupo CNH Industrial New Holland Agriculture New Holland Construction Grupo Gandini Kia Motors Volkswagen Group Volkswagen do Brasil Audi do Brasil (Former Audi Senna, an Audi AG subsidiary until 2005) Honda Honda Automóveis do Brasil HondaJet (Focused on aircraft engine) HPE Automotores do Brasil (Mitsubishi manufacturer) Hyundai Motor Brasil Jaguar Land Rover Jaguar Land Rover
Mitsubishi Nissan Renault do Brasil Stellantis Fiat Jeep RAM Peugeot Citroën Suzuki Toyota Lexus Volvo
Motorcycle