Stellantis plant platform at the El Palomar plant, where the Peugeot 208 starts. The five best-selling models in June at dealerships were produced locally.
Vehicle production was 48,392 units in June, as reported Tuesday from Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ADEFA), a 20.3% higher than the same month of the previous year. During the first half of the year, the accumulated production amounts 243,698 vehicleswith an increase of 25.9%.
The auto industry numbers for the first half of the year show vigorous growth, especially in manufacturing and exports, although the measurement comes in late June, during which time only a small group of auto parts companies had been exposed to the restrictions of the Central Bank to be able to pay for imports of inputs for production.
This constraint has now been extended to the automotive sector as a whole: on June 27 the Central Bank issued Communication “A” 7532, which establishes that imports of vehicles and auto parts that exceed the dollar demand by 105% must be funded for 180 days they had in 2021.
The new restrictions are valid for three months, but after the resignation of Martín Guzmán and the formation of the new team led by Silvina Batakis, doubts remain within the sector: above all, whether the BCRA will maintain the validity of the restrictions, without applying extensions.
“The June figures maintain a high level of growth thanks to the effort made by the sector as a whole, in a highly complex business context both internationally and locally which prints an additional challenge to the daily business of automotive terminals “, said the head of ADEFA, Martin Galdeano.
The data with which the terminals will now try to negotiate with the Central Bank will be that of exports: in June, according to ADEFA data, they were exported 31,892 vehicleswhich represented a 40.3% higher than the same month of the previous year.
The main discussion that terminals want to have with BCRA authorities is that they do not apply this 180-day restriction to auto parts that enter the temporary admission regime, to be subsequently re-exported.
The statistics for June speak for themselves in this regard: two out of three vehicles produced in the country in June (nearly 32,000 versus a total of 48,000) were exported.
Galdeano, who chairs Ford’s local branch, attended the House session that half-sanctioned the bill for the Promotion of New Investments in the sector. “That’s one positive signal for our sector, incorporating tools that facilitate the planning of important long-term investments, both for the production of new models and for the development of auto parts ”, added the manager.
The wholesale of vehicles (from terminals to dealerships) was 37,236 units in June, 32.1% higher than the same month of the previous year. But in the accumulated six months, the amount was almost the same: they were shipped 181,233 units, 5.1% above 172,426 in the first half of 2021.
Source: Clarin
