Ômicron and seasonal effect affected sales in January; interest rates are a concern, says Anfavea

The 27.4% drop in vehicle production in January compared to the same period in 2021 was due to a “combination of factors”, according to the president of Anfavea, the association that represents the automakers, Luiz Carlos Moraes. .

In an interview with CNN Rádio, he explained that the month of January is “normally weaker for the industry”, due to the holidays and Carnival in February, for the sector to resume the second semester stronger: “It is a normal seasonality.”

Even so, this year, there was the impact of Ômicron. “The variant affected the production chain as a whole, suppliers, assemblers, dealerships”, stated Luiz Carlos Moraes.

The rains, according to him, were also a factor, as dealerships were affected by floods and fewer consumers were in stores. All this makes 2022 “a challenging year”: “We estimate a total growth of 8.5% compared to the previous year.” past, which will give 2.3 million cars with license plates.”

“This number is low in production capacity, but there is growth. We still have the challenge of the lack of semiconductors and the economy itself, with high interest rates and household indebtedness”, he added.

The president of Anfavea said that “there is concern about the interest rate”: “More than 60% of our sales to individuals are through financing, data from the Central Bank indicate that the CDC, which is the base, is at 26% per year, and more ‘beat from Selic’ comes, we are worried.

”At the same time, he evaluates that “he understands that the BC has to react to control inflation, but the dosage worries us, all countries are facing inflation, but it is no use controlling it and bringing down the economy.”