Brazil’s car production could fall by 35pc to 1.91mn units this year due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s automotive industry.
Vehicle shipments are also expected to fall by 34pc to 284,000 units in 2020 compared to the prior-year period, the country’s Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea) said in a statement on Wednesday, without disclosing figures from last year.
The South American country produced 220,162 cars in September this year, down by 11pc compared to the same month last year, Anfavea noted. The country exported 30,519 cars last month, down by 16.7pc from the same prior-year period.
The suspension of vehicle production at the end of March due to the pandemic affected steel consumption and steel output in Brazil. However, steel output has started to recover over the last two months.
Brazil’s crude steel output up by 6.5pc to 2.70mn mt in August, from 2.53mn mt, in the same month last year, according to the latest figures released by the World Steel Association.