O 8% increase in auto production in the first quarter of 2023, compared to the same period last year, was insufficient for the sector to recover pre-pandemic levels. According to the anfaveathe sector was impacted by plant shutdowns and shift cancellations.
Despite the improvement in numbers in March, the accumulated production between January and March, of 538 thousand units, it is still about 50,000 units less than what was accounted for in the first three months of 2020the first year with an impact of the new coronavirus on the performance of national economic activity.
the president of Anfavea (National Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers)Márcio de Lima Leite, observes that the current crisis is different from the one that harmed the automotive sector at the beginning of last year, when the semiconductor crisis was at its peak.
“In these first three months, we had eight factory shutdowns and two shift cancellations, something similar to the shutdowns seen in early 2022. The difference is that last year the reason was just a lack of components, while now there are other factors causing vacations. collective, such as the cooling of demand”, he explains.
In the first quarter, the accumulated sales of vehicles totaled 472 thousand units, growth of 16.3% compared to the same period last year. The advance, which could indicate signs of recovery, but Leite points out that the base for 2022 is very low, since there was a lack of cars at dealerships. Compared to pre-pandemic volumes, the gap is more than 20%.
“The photograph of the moment would be worse if it weren’t for the good sales for rental companies in March, 28% of the total. These companies still have considerable repressed demand, but this will not sustain our volumes for so long if there is not a stronger reaction in retail, which depends on improvements in financing conditions, among other measures to revive the market”, analyzes Leite .
At the end of March, the CNI (National Confederation of Industry) criticized the decision of BC (Central Bank) to keep the basic interest rate at the highest level since 2017 and said that the verdict is unnecessary for the fight against inflation and only brings additional costs for the progress of the economy.
In the midst of the crisis, marked by the environment of a indebtedly record and high cost to finance a new vehicle, the automakers opted to grant collective vacations to their employees in an attempt to reverse the impacts caused by the current drop in vehicle sales.