August 2007 was the best month ever for the Colombian new vehicle market – 22,945 units were sold with General Motors leading, as usual, with a 37.8% market share.
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There’s also a bit of a revolution taking place.
According to statisticians Econometría, heavy trucks are now the fastest-growing segment, with year-to-date sales up 40.5% than in the first eight months of 2006.
This is clear evidence that business is going well in Colombia because the peso has fallen 12.3% against the American dollar in the last 60 days, due to the US subprime mortgage crisis, and that increases the price of imports.
In this heavy truck segment, a lot of brands are stealing a large slice of what was, for years, largely GM’s almost exclusive pie. Some are ‘traditional’ and well respected big truck brands like Ford, Mitsubishi and Nissan but there are Chinese newcomers, too: Foton, JMC, JAC, FAW, and others.
The Chinese have roughly a $US2,000 price advantage (or more) and, for the operator, that often makes the difference between being able to afford a brand-new truck or not.
It’s a similar picture at the other end of the commercial vehicle spectrum here: microvans. After GM discontinued its Suzuki-designed) Super Carry line, Chinese brands effectively took over the segment and have since grown it a not insignificant 39.8%.
In other developments last month, the local Chrysler unit severed ties with the soon to be renamed Daimler AG and launched a separate sales and marketing operation to manage the ‘Pentastar’ brands here.
There’s also an interesting dispute over the right to distribute Chana brand vehicles in Colombia. While Knorpfel-Sardi group argues they’ve selling the brand since 2004, the Mattos-Hyundai group has launched the Benny minicar. Sources told just-auto the Chinese want to know see how good Mattos-Hyundai is at selling cars, compared with Knorpfel-Sardi, and will then decide who will get to keep running with the franchise.
August new-model launches included the Audi Q7, redesigned Mitsubishi Lancer sedan, and Toyota’s new FJ Cruiser.
Juan Vargas
