Chinese Car Exports to Brazil Hit Record in First Half

By Lu Zhenhua

(Poder360) ― Brazil’s imports of Chinese-made automobiles rose to a record in the first half of 2025, with 134,582 vehicles arriving from the Asian nation. The figure represents a 3.6% increase from the 129,933 vehicles imported during the same period in 2024.

Cars from China now account for 62.1% of all vehicles imported into Brazil. The 134,600 cars from China are roughly triple the 40,616 vehicles sourced from Argentina, which was previously Brazil’s top supplier of imported cars until China took the lead in 2024.

Mexico remained the third-largest source, exporting 20,331 cars to Brazil. The analysis is based on data from Comex Stat, a foreign-trade statistics system maintained by Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services.

A drop in value

While the volume of Chinese cars grew, the total amount Brazil paid for them fell.

Imports from January to June 2025 were valued at $2 billion, a 20.6% decrease from the $2.6 billion spent in the same period a year earlier.

Hybrids drive growth

Looking at the type of vehicles imported from all countries, hybrids — which combine a combustion engine with an electric motor — led the way. A total of 103,800 hybrid cars were imported in the first half of 2025, an increase of 29% from a year earlier.

Imports of traditional combustion-engine cars reached 74,315 vehicles, while 38,067 all-electric vehicles were brought into the country during the period.

Import tariffs dampen EV demand

The total value of imported hybrids and EVs fell 20.6% to $2.7 billion in the first six months of 2025, down from $3.4 billion a year prior. The value of EV imports saw a steep 57.7% decline to $572.7 million, while the value of hybrid imports rose 2.7% to $2.15 billion.

The shift comes after Brazil began a gradual reinstatement of import tariffs on electric and hybrid vehicles. The tax had been suspended since 2015 but was reintroduced at the start of 2024. The tax rate currently ranges from 25% to 30% depending on the vehicle type and is set to increase incrementally until it reaches a uniform 35% for both categories in July 2026.

Domestic pressure

The influx of Chinese vehicles continues despite the renewed tariffs, which were implemented following pressure from domestic automakers. According to Brazil’s national association of automakers, the previous tax exemption cost the government an estimated 6 billion reais ($1.1 billion) in annual revenue.

For now, the policy appears to have primarily discouraged the purchase of all-electric models, with those imports falling 44.4% in 2025 from the same period the previous year.

This article, originally published in Portuguese by Poder360 on July 13, was translated and republished by Caixin Global under a mutual content-sharing arrangement.

Contact editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)

caixinglobal.com is the English-language online news portal of Chinese financial and business news media group Caixin. Global Neighbours is authorized to reprint this article.

Image: Gabrieuskal – stock.adobe.com