Brazil mid-April 2011: Uno back on top, JAC J3 up 50 spots Discover the Top 100 best selling models

* See the Top 100 best selling models by clicking on ‘Read more’ at the end of the post *

The Brazilian car market is level year-on-year at 149,604 registrations over the first half of April. The Gol-Uno battle is heating up, with the Uno back in pole position over the period at 12,259 sales and 8.2% vs. 11,356 and 7.6% for the Gol…

The Chevrolet Celta stays on the podium at an excellent 5.2% share, ahead of the Ford Fiesta in really good shape, up 3 spots at 3.7%. The Renault Sandero excels and breaks into the Top 10 at 3,589 sales and 2.4%, the Kia Soul is up 14 spots at #31 and the Renault Fluence is up 15 at #70. The new VW Jetta appears at #72.

JAC J3 Turin

Now how is JAC do Brasil faring after their bigger-than-life launch last month? The answer is: pretty well! The JAC J3 is up 49 spots in 51st position with 630 sales, now by far the best selling Chinese model in the country, and its sedan version the JAC J3 Turin appears at #73 with 387 units, #2 Chinese model just above the Hafei Ruiyi.

Full Top 100 Ranking Table below.

Brazil March 2011: VW Gol back to #1, JAC do Brasil launches Discover the Top 100 best selling models

* See the Top 100 best selling models by clicking on ‘Read more’ at the end of the post *

For the first time in months, the Brazilian car market is down: -14% in March at 288,758 registrations. However the year-to-date figure is still up 4% at 777,725 units.

After the Fiat Uno took the first place for the first time last month, the VW Gol reclaims its throne, selling 24,494 units vs. 23,137 for the Uno. 2011 is definitely the year of the Gol-Uno fight! In 3rd the Chevrolet Celta gains 3 spots and one percentage point on February at 4.9% share and 14,045 sales. The Fiat Strada is stable at #5 and the Fiat Palio is up 2 spots at #6.

March 2011 will be remembered as the month the Chinese really landed in Brazil. Until now Chinese brands (Hafei, Chery, Lifan) had adopted a soft start strategy in the country. JAC do Brasil launched with a bang on March 18, which they called J-Day: they inaugurated 50 dealerships across the country simultaneously and hired a famous TV presenter, Fausto Silva, as their ambassador in a multi-million dollar TV campaign. See the TV ad and more about the JAC do Brasil launch here.

JAC J3

The results: the JAC J3 hatchback ranks #100 in March with 324 sales in 10 days, already the best selling Chinese passenger car, and the 3rd best selling Chinese vehicle behind the Hafei Ruiyi and Towner. The JAC J3 Turin sedan sold 131 units. JAC sales target for April have been set at 4,500 units!

Full Top 100 Ranking Table below.

Laos 2010: Hilux in the lead, Chinese models on the up

Observation in person during my stay in Laos 5 years ago and through YouTube videos of the streets of Vientiane indicate the Toyota Hilux dominates the car sales in Laos, with even more authority than in neighbouring Thailand where it is built. The Isuzu D-Max is possibly #2.

As far as passenger vehicles are concerned, Korean models seem to be all the rage with the Kia Cerato Forte, Kia Picanto, Hyundai Elantra, Getz & i30 very common. More recent observation by my dear Mum and Dad during their stay in Luang Prabang in January 2011 seem to indicate that Chinese models are starting to be quite successful in the country.

Click on ‘Read more’ below for the Full Photo Report.

Kia Cerato Forte in Luang Prabang, Laos January 2011. Picture taken by my dear Mum and Dad.

Chery Riich M1 in Luang Prabang, Laos January 2011. Picture taken by my dear Mum and Dad.

Madagascar Q2 2010: JAC Tojoy among best-sellers

JAC Tojoy

Still very limited, the new car market in Madagascar is dominated by Asian brands: Toyota is in the lead in Q2 2010 at 11.8% (down from 17.9% in Q4 ’09), ahead of Nissan and Mitsubishi. However the big novelty in Q2 is the thunderous arrival of two Chinese brands in the Top 10: JAC in 5th at 7.3% and BYD in 8th at 5.1%.

Given JAC only sells one model in Madagascar, this means the JAC Tojoy is already within the best-selling models in the country, along with the Mitsubishi L200 (probably the best-seller), Nissan Hardbody, Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. Remember we’re talking 30 to 50 units sold in the space of 3 months to be best-seller in Madagascar.

More commentaries, Top 10 brands ranking table, street scenes and videos here: 

Ethiopia 2010: Hilux and Corolla most popular

Holland Car Awash Executive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia September 2010

In the busy streets of Addis Ababa, the Toyota Hilux, Corolla, Hiace, Land Cruiser and 2003 Hyundai Atos are the most popular new cars, with the Suzuki Vitara, Chery QQ and Mitsubishi L200 also worth mentioning.

Holland Car, the first Ethiopian car assembler, is starting to get noticed in the crazy Addis traffic with the Abay (a Lifan 520). However the cooperation with Lifan has been replaced with JAC in 2009, with the launches of the Tekeze (JAC Tojoy hb), Abay Executive (JAC Tojoy sedan), Awash Executive (JAC B-Class) and Shebele (JAC B-Cross).

More information about Holland Cars and Addis Ababa street scenes below.