Electrified vehicles had a record market share; total production increased by 15.2% and recorded the best May since 2019
Car sales in Brazil grew 21.7% in May compared to the same period last year. The national market recorded 274.7 thousand vehicle sales last month, according to a balance released by (National Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers) this Friday (June 12, 2026). Read the results (PDF – 5.9 MB).
According to the association, the increase was driven by the program which eliminates IPI (Tax on Industrialized Products) charges for compact and national entry-level vehicles. The measure is valid until the end of 2026.
The month of May also recorded the best daily sales average since December 2014, with 13,700 transactions per day. The annual accumulation surpassed 1 million units a month earlier than in 2025. From January to May, the Brazilian market totaled 1,148,200 sales, an increase of 16.4% compared to the same period last year.
Another highlight was the record participation of electrified vehicles, which accounted for 19.5% of May sales. Pure electrics totaled 21,000 units, another record. Hybrids accounted for 31,700 sales.
FOREIGN TRADE
Import sales registered 55,000 units, totaling 223,000 in the year to date. Vehicles from China saw an increase of 86.6%, while Argentine models registered a drop of 16.8%.
Exports, on the other hand, continue to fall for the 2nd consecutive month. In May, 37,400 cars were shipped. Year-to-date, 180 thousand units were exported, a 20% drop compared to 2025.
“There was growth in shipments only to Colombia, 14.5%. But the drop of 33.3% in shipments to Argentina, 34.5% to Uruguay and 19.6% to Chile brought down the overall result”said Anfavea.
NATIONAL PRODUCTION
Brazil produced 253.6 thousand vehicles in May, an increase of 15.2% in the annual comparison and 6.3% in relation to April this year. It was the best result for the month since 2019.
In 2026, production totals 1,126,400 units, a modest increase of 7.1% compared to the first 5 months of 2025.
The strength of this production pace comes from the increase in car sales (+21.5%), stimulated by the good performance of entry-level cars with the Sustainable Car program.
“Light commercial vehicles, such as pickup trucks, vans and vans, have also been growing (+7.7%), while trucks (-15.1%) and buses (-16.3%) are still falling. An improvement is expected for these two segments with the entry of facilitated financing resources within the Move Brasil 2 program”stated Anfavea.
