Political conditions and uncertainty are affecting the automotive industry, a sector that has shown a significant recovery in sales since the beginning of the year. This is according to the analysis of the Association of Automobile Companies of Ecuador (Aeada) at the end of the first quarter of the year (from January to May).

Despite the fact that sales exceeded pre-pandemic numbers and set a record with sales of 57,819 units, a growth of 9.4%, there was a slowdown last May.

11,224 new vehicles were sold that month, marking a decline in the sales rate sustained by the sector, particularly in the province of Guayas, where there was a 0.5% year-on-year decline. This slowdown coincides with the issuance of the death cross decree signed by the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, on May 17.

With more than 35,000 units, first-quarter vehicle sales revved up and exceeded pre-pandemic numbers by 14%

“This figure shows that this month the demand for vehicles has slowed down, since at the beginning of the year sales grew by double digits, last month the year-on-year growth was 1.4%,” Aeade claimed.

However, if sales are broken down by segment, there are some that have suffered the greatest impact, such as light vehicles. In this category, sales stagnated in May and had a year-on-year growth of barely 0.3%.

Aeade explained that the result of that month is explained by a sharp drop in the truck segment (pick up) -10,286 units sold-, of -12.4%; although sales of SUVs (25,933 units) and cars (14,969 units) increased by 3.5% and 4.2%. respectively.

These are the five best-selling brands in the segment of cars and SUVs:

In cars and SUVs, Kia is in first place with 3,742 units sold more than its direct competitor Chevrolet. The South Korean brand is one of the brands that has achieved the highest sales growth in the domestic market in the last few years. In total in all categories (car, truck, SUV, VAN, bus and truck), Kia with 9,565 units sold narrowly trails Chevrolet (10,189 units sold), with a slight difference of 624 vehicles. brands.

Meanwhile, the top selling car models were Soluto (Kia), Joy Black (Chevrolet), Picanto (Kia), Sail (Chevrolet) and Swift (Suzuki). While the G01 (Shineray) leads the SUV ranking, it is followed by the Sonet (Kia), Jetour X70 (Jetour), Seltos (Kia) and Captiva (Chevrolet).

These are the best selling car brands in Ecuador

These are the five best-selling brands in the pickup truck segment:

The best-selling models among trucks were D-Max (Chevrolet), Wingle Great (Great Wall), HFC 1037 Series (JAC), Hilux (Toyota) and Ranger (Ford).

Meanwhile, the passenger transport segments (buses and VAN) maintained sustainable growth this year. In May, year-on-year sales of vans increased by 51%, and buses by 56.3%. On the other hand, trucks recorded a slight decline (-7.8% in May this year compared to the same month last year).

These are the five best-selling brands in the bus and van segment:

These are the five best-selling brands in the truck segment:

87.5% more sales in the first quarter of 2023 supports diversification and preferences among ‘electrified’ vehicles in the local market

As for hybrid and electric vehicles (electrified vehicles), they also maintained high dynamics on the market. In May, sales at the annual level increased by 19.4%, driven by the continuation of the presentation of new models, of which there are already 93 this year.

These are the five best-selling models in the electrified segment: