Colombian car sales in the first six months of 2009 fell 22.4%, less than expected.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Yet, in this declining market Volvo posted 7% growth, Mini was up 217% and Volkswagen 7%.
Assemblers booked a 20% fall, less than the market, which can be explained by the launch of the Renault Symbol (Clio sedan) which gave the French manufacturer 18% of market share, something not seen in many years.
Assemblers (Chevrolet, Renault, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Ford) and CBU-only importers (the other 37 brands) split this market 50/50 though it should be noted statisticians Econometría count in fully imported CBUs that assemblers sell as well as CKD units, and the finished vehicles can represent as much as a quarter of their sales.
All market segments are down but the most critical losses are in cargo vehicle business due to some government policy changes affecting sales.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataAutomobiles (54.1% of the market), taxis (9.7%), utility vehicles (14.9%), vans (3.6%) and buses (2.8%) gained market share at the expense of pickups (9.1%) and trucks (5.7%). This reflects the decline in the commercial and industrial economy.
Assemblers lead in passenger cars (72.4% share of the segment), trucks (53%) and buses (64%), while importers dominate the others: 73% of taxis, 97% of trucks, 84% of pickups and all vans.
As a forecast, with annual sales traditionally distributed 45% in the first half and 55% in the second, I venture to predict almost 105,000 sales to come, for a total of 190,000.
That would make 2009 the fourth best year in the history of the Colombian automotive market.
Juan Vargas
