09/16/2021 8:32 AM
Clarín.com
Economy
Updated 09/16/2021 8:35 AM
Every month, along with the sales of zero kilometer cars, in Argentina
almost 500 hybrid or electric motorized cars
are being patented
, of which
nine out of ten
are from the Toyota automaker.
That is the conclusion that emerges from the report "The incursion of electric vehicles in Argentina" prepared by the
Association of Automotive Dealers
(ACARA), which shows an increase of 133% compared to the same period of the previous year (during almost three of those months of 2020, the dealerships were closed).
There it is noted that in the first eight months of this year
3,760
alternative motorization
units
were sold
, of which
99% are hybrid vehicles
(with engines that combine electricity and combustion) and only the remaining 1% corresponds to units
that are plugged into an electrical outlet
.
"This year, the monthly average of sales already exceeds
470 units
, having reached an all-time high in August, when
589 units
were sold
," the report added.
"If we compare the monthly averages of the last three years, we see that 2021 is
2.6 times that of 2019 and almost 1.4 times that of 2020.
"
In proportion, it is still a small market: even with modest sales compared to periods such as 2017 or 2018, the Argentine market for conventional vehicles moves around 400,000 zero kilometer units per year.
Those of alternative propulsion, in that context,
represent little more than 1%.
The electric or hybrid vehicle market is encouraged by special legislation, which allows
the import tariff
to be lowered
by more than 30 percentage points
, which is 35% for vehicles imported outside of Mercosur.
Hybrid vehicles pay a
5%
tariff
, while electric-only vehicles pay
2%
.
In the case of those of Brazilian origin,
the tariff is zero
as for the rest of the vehicles of that origin.
This reduction applies exclusively to brands that
have automotive factories located in the country
, while the rest of the brands
must pay the 35% tariff
.
The main beneficiary, according to the ACARA report, is
Toyota
: the Japanese automaker today concentrates
86.6%
of that market, with six models, to which must be added those of its controlled brand
Lexus
, with another
2%
.
It is followed by
Ford
vehicles
(two models), with
9.7%
of the market.
Another 10 brands share the
remaining
1.7%
.
In that market where Toyota has almost 90%, the best-selling models are of its brand: the podium is headed by the
Corolla
hybrid, with more than 1,700 units patented so far this year and with a market price on par with the most expensive version (SEG) of its gasoline model.
They are followed by the
Cross
version
of the Corolla, recently launched and already with 911 units patented in the country. The third place corresponds to the SUV Toyota
RAV4
(540 units) and only in fourth place is another brand: the hybrid version of the
Ford Kuga
, with 280 patented units so far from January to the end of August.
