The April result extends automakers ' crisis

Sales of new vehicles in the country this month showed pace better than the weak March performance, but they're still well below the volumes of a year ago. The fall of plates issued in cumulative 2014, which closed the first quarter at 2.1%, is now around 4 percent, according to preliminary numbers.
In comparison with March, when the result was hampered by the Carnival holiday, this month's sales already show high of 6.2%-variation that will be even greater with the consolidation of licenses of yesterday and today. On average, the industry is moving about 1.5 thousand more cars per day of sale.
But when compared with April of last year, the market for the time being, is 9.2% lower and, as had already happened in February and March, walks to close the month down to 300 thousand units emplacadas, between cars, SUVs, light trucks and buses. Along with the accommodation of demand after the withdrawal of part of the discounts in the tax on industrialized products (IPI), sales of automakers were once again affected by holidays-Friday and Tiradentes-who took a two-day sale in April.
The vehicle industry, represented by Anfavea, blames the banks for the time being difficult and negotiates with the Government and financial institutions themselves exits to unlock credit. But yesterday the President of Bradesco, Luiz Carlos Trabuco, gave an answer whose attributes the decline in consumption of cars-and the consequent production stoppages in factories for inventory adjustment-only to the greater selectivity in the release of banks ' loans. "The total volume of credit to automotive sector didn't fall. He has a relationship with the actual demand. Each bank has its credit policy. The cars in the courtyards cannot be explained solely by the credit channel, "said the Executive during an event organized in Brasilia by the Chamber of Deputies. "There is no shortage of credit," added Trebuchet.
For David Wong, Director of the consulting firm AT Kearney, the banks until they have granted credit, but not in required volume. The expert believes that sales may worsen even more until August, because of holidays and anticipated lower consumer flow in resales during the World Cup. "People [during the World Cup] will not be on the streets to buy vehicles," he says.
For prospects like that, analysts are revising down forecasts that already were negative at the beginning of the year. Wong numbers point to fall of 12% to 13% of the production of vehicles and of 7% to 8% of retail sales. Until March, manufacturing of vehicles in the country gave up 8.4%. "The forecasts are not encouraging, barring any structural change," says Wong.
Already Raphael Gallant, an analyst at Oikonomia, says that the market for cars-without putting on trucks and buses-can reach in December with accumulated fall of 10% remained the backdrop of stagnation of credit and less propensity to consumption, given the commitment of the income of the families with the advance in prices and debts in recent years. The estimate also takes into account a new round of increase in IPI, promised by the Government in July. "In this case, sales can easily fall to that level," bet Gallant.
This month, sales surpassed the mark of 1 million vehicles in total accumulated since January. The volume, however, is 43.5 thousand units-or almost three days of sale-under formal license plates registered in the same period in 2013, as shown by the licensing conducted until last Monday.
In the fight between brands, Hyundai and Renault compete head-to-head to fifth place in April sales. Two days for the closure of the month, the Koreans were at the front, with market share of 7%, compared to 6.8% of French people. In the peloton, the Fiat follows in the lead, with 21.9% of sales, followed by General Motors (18.4%), Volkswagen (16%) and Ford (9.1%), according to data compiled by Oikonomia.