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, Fiat, Ford, Geely, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, JAC Motors, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lifan, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan Motors, Renault, Stellantis, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo Trucks, 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. 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. 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

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Historical production by year

Historical sales

Motor vehicle manufacturers

Current passenger automobiles

Motorcycle

Bus & truck

Tractors

Representative importers

Former local and foreign manufacturers

Educational institutions

Local manufacture encouraged

As of 2024, Brazil has a 35% tariff on imported combustion engine vehicles, 18% on BEVs, 20% on PHEVs and 25% on HEVs.

Passenger vehicles currently offered, manufactured or imported in large scale

Agrale: Marruá Audi: ; Imported: A3, A4, A5, A6, A8, Q3/Q3 Sportback, Q5, Q7, Q8, RS, e-tron and e-tron GT BMW: 3 Series, X1, X3, X4, X5; Imported: 1 Series, 2 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, X2, X6, X7, Z4 and iX Chery: Tiggo 5x Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro, Tiggo 8; Imported: iCar, Arrizo 6 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid Chevrolet: Onix/Onix Plus, Montana, Spin, Tracker, S10, Trailblazer; Imported: Chevrolet Blazer EV, Bolt, Camaro, Equinox and Silverado Citroën: C3, C4 Cactus; Imported: Jumpy, e-Jumpy, Jumper Fiat: Argo, Mobi, Pulse, Abarth Pulse, Strada, Toro, Fiorino, Fastback; Imported: Cronos, 500e, Scudo, e-Scudo and Ducato Honda: City (Sedan and Hatchback), HR-V; Imported: Civic e:HEV (Sedan) and Accord Hyundai: Creta, HB20/HB20S; Imported: Kona Hybrid Jeep: Commander, Compass, Renegade; Imported: Compass 4xe, Gladiator and Wrangler Land Rover: Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover Evoque; Imported: Defender and Velar Mitsubishi: L200 Triton, Eclipse Cross; Imported: Pajero Sport Nissan: Kicks; Imported: Frontier, Leaf, Sentra and Versa Peugeot: Partner Rapid; Imported: 208, e-208, 2008, e-2008, 3008, Expert, e-Expert and Boxer Ram: Rampage; Imported: 1500, 1500 Classic and 2500 Renault: Duster, Kardian, Oroch, Logan, Kwid, Sandero, Master; Imported: Kangoo, Kwid E-Tech, Mégane E-Tech and Zoe Toyota: Corolla, Corolla Cross, Yaris (Sedan and Hatchback); Imported: Hilux, SW4 and RAV4 Volkswagen: Nivus, Polo Track, Saveiro, T-Cross, Virtus; Imported: Amarok, Jetta GLI, Taos and Tiguan Allspace