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9 3.11 to 3.16.2019 thousand 876 trucks), a result the exec deems very good: “In the first half of 2018 the sales pace was of about 4 to 6 thousand units/month. Last year we reached a peak of 7 thousand/month in the second half only, which is traditionally better than the first half. The numbers for 2019 show that the bar is up and this is positive”. In comparison to February of 2018, vehicles licensed grew by 70.2%; compared to January they basically stayed the same, with a minor decline of 1.6%, totally attributable to the lower number of working days. The most relevant number is the 2019 year to date figure: the 13.9 thousand trucks shipped mean an increment of 61% as compared to the same period of last year. There is the hypothesis, however, that this very encouraging growth rate will not hold in the next couple of months, as Anfavea projects an increment of 15.3% for all of 2019. Thus, regardless of what will occur in the wake of the Ford situation, it is expected that a decrease in sales of trucks could take place. Nevertheless, this is not a real concern with the manufacturers. Not so far, anyway. Additionally, there is still the opportunity for Ford to increase its presence in those segments it is strong, such as light and medium trucks. The high level of idle capacity in the truck plants could help some companies. Promptness to occupy spaces is the name of the game right now.

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