Domestic sales of light-duty goods carrier vehicles (GVW ≤ 7.5t) grew by 174.3% to 72,345 units in the first quarter of the financial year 2021-22, compared with 26,373 units sold in same period of the previous year.

Domestic sales of tractor units experienced huge growth of 1079.9% during the first quarter of the India financial year 2021-22, increasing to 3,174 units from 269 units in the same quarter of the previous year.

According to statistics collated by the National Association of Automotive Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea) based in Sao Paulo, production of bus and coach chassis in the first half of 2021, increased by 15% to 10,324 units compared with 8,974 units in the same period last year.

According to Luiz Carlos Moraes, the president of the National Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (ANFAVEA) of Sao Paulo, is expecting the Brazilian truck sector to continue to be positive and to perform better than any other vehicle categories in Brazil, even despite the pandemic and the economic crisis.

According to data from Anfavea, sales of both truck and bus+coach chassis in the Brazilian market grew in the first half of this year. The truck segment increased by 54.4% to 55,865 units, against 36,153 units in the same period last year. The bus+coach chassis segment registered an increase of 31.9%, with 7,538 units, against 5,716 units in 2020.

According to the Automotive Association of Peru (AAP), based in Lima, during the first six months of 2021, a total of 8,426 commercial vehicles were sold in Peru, some 138.6% higher than the same period in 2020 (3,532 units).

Truck sales in Colombia rebounded strongly during the first half of 2021. According to data from the National Association for Sustainable Mobility (ANDEMOS) in Bogotá, the market registered 14,258 trucks for January to June 2021, an increase of 115.2% on the 6,626 units registered in the same period of 2020.

According to data from the National Automotive Association of Chile (ANAC) in Santiago, the Chilean truck market grew in the first half of 2021 to 7,389 units, an increase of 69.3% compared with 4,364 units in the same period in 2020. The sector, ANAC says, maintained its pace of recovery for the tenth month in a row.

Just over a year after the resumption of production and sales of trucks in the main countries of South America, the markets are showing signs of strong and sustained growth. Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia in the first half of this year grew by more than 50% compared with the same period last year and, most importantly, the performance was also better than the previous semester in 2019.

Trailer and truck body builders in Brazil are warning the price increases in raw materials will impact economic recovery and their businesses this year. In particular, the impact the increase in the price of steel – still the main building commodity – is likely to have a negative impact on sales and the ability of the manufacturers to supply customers in 2021.

According to the National Association of Automotive Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea) based in São Paulo, Brazil, truck production in the first half of 2021 totalled 74,700 units, an increase of 115.1% over the same period last year (34,738 units); which is the highest volume in seven years, since the first half of 2014.

At the beginning of the year, Volvo Latin America Ltda announced it was hiring of 400 temporary employees for the plant in Curitiba (PR).