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37 AutoData | February 2019 year, accounting for 30,4% of the licenses. Followed by the vehicles imported from Mexico, with 18,8% share in total sales, and South Korea with 10,2%. Despite the recent automotive agreement of both countries, Brazil is still only the fourth on the list, with 9.8%, which, in any case, re- presented an advance of 2,7 percentage points compared to the result in 2017. AND FOR 2019? Although having represented a sort of savior for the Latin American market’s sum in 2018, the perspectives for Brazilian exports to the region in 2019, alone, are not quite encouraging. According to Anfavea’s projections, the total number of Brazilian vehicles exported this year is expected to be 590 thousand units, which would represent a decrease of 6,2% compared to the 629 thousand in 2018, which in turn was 18% below the previous year and its 766 thou- sand shipments. By segment, the reduction is con- centrated in the light vehicles, with the expected 555 thousand units exported, down 6,8% compared to the 595 thousand in 2018. With regard to heavy vehicles the expectation is an increase of 3,7%, to 35 thousand faced to the 33,7 thousand from last year. The reason for this picture, naturally, is only one: Argentina. Although the Brazilian manufacturers seek new export markets, there is no escape from this interdepen- dence. According to data by Secex, Se- cretary of Foreign Trade, that country re- ceived 70% of the light vehicles exported from Brazil last year, 422 thousand units, a retraction of 23%. In 2017, the index was very close, 71%. The Argentines are also the biggest buyers of Brazilian trucks and buses, with 35% of the exports, 13,6 thousand units and a decrease of 38%. But in this seg- ment, less dependence can be noticed already, because in 2017 they bought 58% of the heavy vehicles Brazil exported. To complicate the Brazilian scenario a little more, Mexico, which is also on the decrease in its domestic market, was the second largest buyer of Brazilian light vehicles in 2018, with 52,3 thousand units, 9% share and a strong 42% decrease com- pared to the 90,4 thousand vehicles that the country received in 2017. Chile got the third place of the largest Made in Brazil light vehicles buyers in 2018, with 7% and a 34% increase, to 42,7 thou- sand vehicles. Followed by Colombia and Uruguay, tied with 4%, and Peru, with 2%. With regard to trucks and buses, the second largest buyer of Brazilian vehicles in 2018 was Chile, with 18% market share and a 40% increase, followed by Russia, with 14% of the cake and 102% growth compared to the numbers of 2017. Then there are South Africa with 6% of the total in advance of 57% and Peru, also with 6% but with a reduction of 14% compared to 2017. Disclosure/VWCO