MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chinese auto manufacturers flocking to open plants in Brazil

Industry Minister Pimentel confirmed the JAC Motors 450 million dollars plan in Bahia

Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co Ltd has become the latest Chinese automaker to invest in a production project in Brazil, the world's fourth-largest automobile market, to avoid the high taxes on imported vehicles.

Brazil's Industry Minister Fernando Pimentel has confirmed JAC Motors' plans, saying that the project, which was first discussed a year ago, will start construction on Nov 28 in Camacari in the state of Bahia, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The 450 million dollars facility, the company's first in South America, is expected to be operational by the end of 2014, with an annual production capacity of 100,000 units, the company said in a statement.

Pimentel also said that another Chinese automaker, Chery Automobile Co, plans to set up a plant in Sao Paulo.

Last month, Beiqi Foton Motor Co Ltd - one of China's major commercial vehicles makers - said that it will invest 300 million dollars to build a plant in Brazil.

The light-duty truck and minivan plant, which will also be located in Bahia state, is expected to begin production at the end of 2013 and have an annual capacity of 30.000 vehicles by 2017. The Beijing-based company said it plans to set up 130 dealers in Brazil from 2013 to 2017.

The plant, which will initially assemble vehicles with parts shipped from other countries, will gradually increase the use of parts from local areas to 65% by 2017 - the figure needed not to pay the high taxes required by the Brazilian government.

The move follows a similar action by Lifan Industry (Group) Co, which is trying to boost its global market share by increasing sales in the Latam’s largest economy to avoid paying the high import taxes.

The Chongqing-based Lifan signed an agreement with Brazil's Effa Group in January to set up a joint venture to build an assembly plant for Lifan vehicles.

Both companies will invest 120 million dollars in total for the new plant and expand their existing assembly plant in Uruguay, which started operations in April 2010 and has an annual capacity of 40.000 units.

The new plant in Brazil will start construction in 2014, and has an expected initial annual output of 10.000 units.

Analysts said that the Chinese automakers' decision to set up local production bases in Brazil is a result of the local government's high taxes on imported vehicles, a measure implemented to support its domestic car industry.

In September, Brazil's government raised taxes by 30 percentage points on imported cars and trucks, and those produced in Brazil and other Mercosur countries that fail to meet localization rates of 65%, in a bid to replace imports with domestically made vehicles.

The measure is expected to increase Brazil's industrial product tax on cars by between 7 and 25%, depending on engine size, to as much as 55%.

Customs data showed that in 2011, Brazil replaced Algeria as the largest export destination for made-in-China vehicles, with total exports at about 110.000 units.

Chinese-branded vehicles grabbed 1.81% of the Brazilian market share in 2011, up from about 0.05% in 2010. JAC led the group of Chinese automakers, with sales of 23.700 units, followed by Chery's 21.700 units and minivan producer Hafei Automobile's 16.700 units.
However, the tax increase is taking a toll.

“In the first six months, Chinese vehicle exports to Brazil dived by almost 90% year-on-year, taking the country out of the top 10 export destinations for Chinese automobiles,” said Zhi Luxun, deputy director of the Department of Machinery, Electronics and High-Tech Industry with the Ministry of Commerce.