Production of coach output slid by 67% during the first quarter as the market for commuter, tourism and long-distance coach travel dried up.

The Brazilian bus and chassis market fell by 9.0% in the first quarter of 2021 to register 3,331 bus chassis, a trend that has been occurring since the second quarter of 2020.

Truck sales in Brazil during the first quarter this year grew by 29.5%, 26,139 units compared with 20,160 units in the same period of 2020.

According to data from the National Association for Sustainable Mobility (ANDEMOS) of Bogotá, the Colombian commercial vehicle market ended the first quarter of 2021 with total sales of 6,856 heavy commercial vehicles.

According to data released by the National Automotive Association of Chile (ANAC) based in Santiago, sales of commercial vehicles in the first quarter of 2021 grew by 30.1% over the same period last year.

Data collated and analysed by ANFIR (National Association of Manufacturers of Road Implements) of São Paulo, reveals that, despite the pandemic, the market for road implements (trailers and truck bodywork) in the first quarter of 2021 finished with substantial growth.

Sales of medium and heavy commercial vehicles, trucks and buses of 10.5t gvw and above, in Argentina rose by 63.1% in the first quarter of 2021 to 3,984 units compared with 2,443 units sold in the same period of 2020.

According to data released by the National Association of Bus Manufacturers (FABUS) of São Paulo, Brazil’s bus production fell by 32.8% in the first quarter of this year, when 3,069 units were manufactured compared with 4,549 units in the same first quarter of 2020.

Mercedes-Benz do Brasil Ltda has launched a new high floor chassis model for the city bus BRT segment, the O500 R Super Padron.

DAF, Iveco, Foton Caminhões, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, Volkswagen Trucks and Buses and Volvo Trucks Latin America have all added new dealers, adding more than 60 new truck dealer points in the country.

Ford Motor Company do Brasil Ltda has announced plans to assemble its Transit light commercial vehicle range in neighbouring Uruguay, starting next year.

Drinks company Ambevhas formalized agreement for delivery of the first 100 VWCO e-Delivery electric trucks from the second half of 2021.