Auto: Imports rise 20% in first half

In the wake of the appreciation of the real and the arrival of Asian automakers in the country, the Brazilian auto industry went to live with two difficult situations in foreign trade. On the other hand, the industry sees the competition from imported from various parts of the world zooming on the domestic market, with the increasing entry of Chinese products and, now, the Korean auto imports triggered.
On the other hand, the exports are increasingly less diversified: more than half of the exports of the Community industry started to focus only on neighbours in South America, particularly in Argentina, after the loss of markets in the United States.
The combination of these two realities – which, in common, resulting from the loss of competitiveness of Brazilian manufacturers in the face of international competition-produces, since 2007, growing deficits in the balance of trade of the auto parts industry. The lowest point of this trajectory happens this year. Only in the first half, imports exceeded exports by $ 4.72 billion, representing an increase of 60.6% in commercial transactions deficit in automotive components market. There was, during the period, an increase of 20.4% of imports and a decline of 2.4% of exports.
In addition to the real appreciation of the less competitive levels for exporting companies, Brazilian manufacturers say that the rise in the cost of labor and high taxes of the country-added the infrastructure deficiencies that make it more expensive industrial-logistics industry have firepower to compete with foreign competitors.
But the structural change in auto parts trade balance, that up to seven years ago operated with a surplus, it should not be just a matter of competitiveness. The technological improvement of the cars sold in the Brazilian market, for example, led to higher consumption of systems available in the country, mainly in the field of electronics. At the same time, the greatest diversity of automakers installed here with local production of vehicles connected the Brazil to new sources of supply, without that it meant an increased flow in the opposite direction-in other words, the opening of new markets for exports.
Hyundai still matter engine blocks and Korea Exchange, although it has taken nine suppliers in their country of origin to Piracicaba (SP), where produces the HB20, fifth stroller more sold in Brazil. Similar situation happens with Toyota, which has already announced plan to invest in an engine plant in the State of São Paulo, but, for now, follows importing the thrusters of Japan, as well as the gear boxes.
Korea and China respond today by 8.3% and 8.2%, respectively, of imports of auto parts in Brazil. Twelve years ago, the two countries together wrong spent of 1% of foreign purchases in this sector. When including Japan, accounts for 9.6%, most other sources in Asia and, to a lesser extent, of Oceania, the participation of the macro-region comes to 35.9% of the total, already very close to Europe, which sells 39.4% of everything Brazil imports on auto parts.
The figures-compiled by Sindipeças, the entity that represents the Brazilian automotive components industry-show that the policy adopted by the Government, a year and a half ago, to give incentives only cars with high content of nationalisation could not, at least so far, to stop the entry of imported. Either allowed the boost expected by the auto industry, whose revenues fell 10.5% in 2012 and may not fully recover this year, when it is expected a sales growth of less than 3%, as estimated Sindipeças.
In early October, the new automotive system linked discounts in the tax on industrialized products (IPI) of classic cars for purchase of components manufactured in MERCOSUR. However, Paulo Butori, President of Sindipeças, says that the local content, which defines the rebate of the tax, follows ' free, light and loose ', since the Government has not yet defined how it will trace the source of the parts. ' There is nothing measurement today ', he says. The expectation is that the principal of auto parts trade deficit approaching the $ 10 billion mark by the end of the year.
Sectors linked to this chain come charging of a series of Government incentives to reverse what they call the deindustrialisation of the auto parts industry. The program has already proposed to name: Innovate-parts, an allusion to Innovate, as was named the policy of incentives for automakers. However, the Government says Butori won't take the proposals forward while the Innovate-Auto is not ready, with the publication of final regulations. ' I think we're back on our competitiveness and a lot of people is concerned, ' says.