The second semester continues to show encouraging numbers in the car sales 0 km. Although the market is still well below 2023, August patents had activity that maintained the pace of July, the best month of the year so far, and showed a gain compared to last year.
Last month they were patented 41,378 new vehicleswhich represents a reduction of 4% compared to the 43,150 units registered during July, as reported by the Association of Dealers of the Argentine Republic (ACARA).
The positive number is reflected in the year-on-year comparison, since it showed a 5% growth compared to August 2023, when 39,467 units had been registered.
In fact, it is the first time this year that a month in 2024 is higher than last year. In any case, the accumulated annual sales still reflect 16% lower activity: 267,954 copies against 319,368 for the same period in 2023.
Among the causes that justify this recovery in the last two months (more than 84 thousand 0 km were registered between July and August), there is the dollar gapwhich still continues to mark a convenience; the various financing proposals from automotive companies, many at a 0% rate; and the unit availability after the import blockade was lifted.
It is precisely this last aspect that was shown very strongly in last month’s results. In August, The patenting of nationally manufactured vehicles represented 52% approximately and the rest were imported. Let us remember that during the year there were peaks of almost 80% during one month of Argentine production models.
“August’s numbers confirm the recovery that began in July, after a very irregular first semester,” commented Sebastián Beato, president of ACARA. that he was enthusiastic about the remainder of 2024: “There are now a number of reasons that make us see a second half of the year with even growth.”
In that sense, the head of the entity highlighted the “gap in the exchange rate, which helps make the acquisition of many vehicles more convenient; the great appearance of financing with much friendlier rates, a always key issue for our activity; a normalization of the market, with more logical values; and a broader offer from the factories.
At the same time, he highlighted “the state incentives that have a direct impact on our activity, such as the announcement of the reduction of the country tax, a tax that today has a full impact on the price, and also what was announced by the Minister of Justice, which lowers costs and will speed up the vehicle registration operation.”
The pickups are still up
The August results once again showed the Toyota Hilux as the most chosen vehicle in the entire market, ranking above models such as the Puegeot 208 or the Volkswagen Polo, which closed the podium for the month. Other trucks such as the Ford Ranger (in fourth position) and the VW Amarok (eighth), both of national production, remained within the top ten.
In the annual cumulative figure, the best-selling model of 2024 is in a virtual tie between the 208 (20,322) and the Fiat Cronos (20,798), the undisputed leader in recent years. However, recent months have shown a clear preference for the French brand’s model.
Regarding the results by brand, Toyota was again ranked as the brand that patented the most last month, with 8,453 registrations, followed by Volkswagen (7,020) and Fiat (4,372). So far this year, these companies occupy the same places in the accumulated count.
The 10 best-selling models of August
- Toyota Hilux: 3.279
- Peugeot 208: 2.692
- Volkswagen Polo: 2,372
- Ford Ranger: 2.342
- Fiat Cronos: 2,040
- Toyota Yaris: 1.818
- Toyota Corolla Cross: 1.675
- Volkswagen Amarok: 1,453
- Volkswagen Taos: 1.320
- Jeep Renegade: 862
