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48 October 2018 | AutoData PERSPECTIVES 2019 » LUXURY MARKET to know who will be elected first: if the electoral scenario doesn’t bring any big impacts, we’ll get in the route of growth once and for all”. The president of Mercedes-Benz is the most cautious: for him “if the scenario gets more or less stable, there is a tendency for growth but everything will depend on the events after the elections”. The relatively collective optimism is justified by some points, such as the arrival of new models in the market. Drouin, of JLR, remembers that “we will have some launches next year and I believe that our rivals too, and this will help sustain the expansion that we hope”. Roscheck, of Audi, reinforces that the investment level should be higher and the automotive sectorwill growafter the elec- tions. For Boavida, of BMW, “the sector’s growth will continue to be driven by the strong demand for SUVs”, which in the case of BMW, it already represent 60% of sales. In addition to the political scenario, the dollar instability is another difficulty for the companies of the segment: after all, they import more components for the Brazi- lian production, besides the models that complete their offer in Brazil. Schiemer, of M-B, insists on the need for predictability: “Nomatterwhat the dollar rate is, the important is how long it will stay at a certain level so it is possible to create an internal planning”. For him, depending onwhowins the presidential elections, the exchange rate can go fromR$ 3.50 to R$ 5. Audi has absorbed the impacts of the rising dollar rates on its business so far, but according to Roscheck, if the rate does not decrease, it will be necessary to rai- se the price: “Our expectation is that the dollar will return to previous levels after the elections, with a price from R$ 3.50 to R$ 3.80 next year”. Jaguar Land Rover and BMW have a similar reasoning regarding the exchange rate trend, expecting a reduction after the elections –a dollar value around R$ 3.70 at the end of the year. Disclousure/Mercedes-Benz led the market until August and our main goal is to keep this scenario”. For 2019, the four executives are betting on the luxurymarket growth – they all point out, however, that the uncertain scenario complicates the projections. BMW expects a 10% increase in the final result of the segment next year and estimates that its sales will grow at least at the same level. Jaguar Land Rover is also betting on the expansion of the market for next year, but understands that a reliable projection can only be calculated after the presidential election. According to Drouin, “wewill know if this expansionwill be from 5% to 10% or if it could be even higherwhen we approach the end of the year”. Audi also estimates growth in 2019, but for Roscheck it will be essential to observe how the market will behave during the months after the announcement of the election result: “The luxurymarket has the potential to grow 5% to 10% annually, but it may grow more or less than that next year. We need OBJECT OF DESIRE Mercedes-Benz GLA produced in Iracemápolis, SP: luxury models represent music to the ears of those who wish an SUV in the garage.