AD_MAGAZINE_352

32 February 2019 | AutoData MARKETS » LATIN AMERICA SOY LOCO POR TI, AMERICA I n 2018, Brazil proved how relevant its au- tomotive market is in Latin America. Of the three largest countries in the region in terms of sales volume, two closed last year in the red, and not narrowly: Me- xico decreased 7% and Argentina another 11%. But Brazil ended the year with a 14,6% growth and, alone, held a 3,7% increase compared to 2017 when considering all five largest Latin American markets. Chile and Colombia, respectively four- th and fifth place in the ranking, also grew, By Marcos Rozen Two of the three largest markets in Latin America ended 2018 on the decrease, but Brazil counterbalanced the check to end the year in the black but neither was it necessary that little help. Together, in 2018, Argentina and Mexico saw a reduction of 207 thousand units in their domestic markets, while Brazil res- ponded with an evolution of 327 thousand vehicles from one year to another. Chile contributed with 56 thousand additio- nal units and Colombia with another 18 thousand. This way, in the final sum of the five main Latin American countries regarding vehicle sales, the evolution in 2018 com-