Chinese cars fire up in searches in Brazil; see the most searched | Automotive market

The search for new cars from Chinese brands grew 220% between 2021 and 2023 on the Webengines, one of the largest online vehicle sales and purchasing portals in Brazil. The study also points to a 111% increase in searches for pre-owned models originating from the Asian country in this two-year period. It is worth remembering that the Chinese BYD It is already among the ten manufacturers that sell the most cars in Brazil in 2024.

According to Webmotors Autoinsights, in the ranking of the most searched new Chinese cars on the marketplace, Caoa Chery appears in the first two places with Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 5X. In third is the BYD Dolphin, which is the best-selling electric car in Brazil and voted Autoesporte’s Car of the Year 2024. Among used cars, Caoa Chery leads again, this time with the first three positions: Tiggo 7 Pro (1st), Tiggo 5X (2nd) and Tiggo 8 (3rd).

It is worth noting that the study does not reveal the number of searches, only the ranking. check out:

“The behavior of our users signals an increasing curiosity and acceptance of Chinese models in the Brazilian automotive market, mainly linked to the growth of hybrid and electric vehicles in consumer preference and interest, as these brands stand out for offering a electrified portfolio in the country”, says Natalia Spigai, CMO of Webmotors.

BYD sales leader

Although Caoa Chery is the most researched, BYD is the best-selling among new cars. With the official name of Build Your Dreamsthe Chinese company has been in Brazil since 2015. However, it was only From 2022 onwards, it started selling cars in the country. Previously, the Chinese company only worked with electric bus assembly factories and the production of photovoltaic modules in Campinas (SP).

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According to the National Federation of Motor Vehicle Distribution (Fenabrave), there were 14,922 BYD cars registered in 2024 alone, up to the month of March. With these numbers, the manufacturer already sells more cars in Brazil than Ford, Ram, Peugeot and Citroën, for example. As already mentioned, the leader is Dolphin (5,332), followed by Song Plus (4,870) and Dolphin Mini (2,494).

BYD investment in Brazil

And there is a great chance that BYD will grow even further in the market after its official arrival in Brazil. The Chinese giant kicked off work on its new factory in Camaçari (BA). With an investment of R$3 billion, four vehicles will leave the assembly lines: the electric Dolphin Mini, Dolphin and Yuan Plus and the hybrid Song Plus — the latter already with a flex engine.

Initially, until the last quarter of 2024, the cars will only be assembled in Brazil with parts from China. From 2025 onwards, BYD will begin to effectively manufacture cars here and begin the nationalization plan, which is expected to last five years and reach a rate of 70% of national inputs — including even lithium batteries.

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