The automotive market had a positive balance in 2021 despite the fact that some indicators closed lower, according to the 2021 automotive market report from the Mercado Libre e-commerce platform. “The first wave of cases in Uruguay (second in other parts of the world) added to the shortage of 0 km in some market segments influenced so that the indicators for the year were not better than expected,” the report warned.
In that sense, the demand (visits) for 0 km cars grew 8% in the yearcompared to the previous year, as well as the purchase intention (contacts to publication). The offer (advertisements) of 0 km grew 9%. According to ACAU data, In 2021, 51,737 0 km vehicles were sold in the Uruguayan market, more than 15 thousand units above the 2020 figure (36,398 vehicles), which meant a 42% growth compared to the previous year, when the economic situation severely punished private consumption.
As for the used carsthe demand had a year-on-year drop of 7%the purchase intention of 13.6% and the offer of 7.6%, according to Mercado Libre.
This drop in all used variables had an impact on a generalized fall in market variableswhich are largely explained by the decreases in both demand and purchase intention in Montevideo (responsible for half of the market), as well as in supply in the first quarter of the year throughout the country.
Most popular makes and models
Again, Volkswagen was the most searched car brand of the year, followed by Chevrolet and Peugeot. This permanence is due to the great participation of its Gol and Saveiro models within the used vehicles, which once again occupy the first and third positions in the ranking of the most sought-after models, respectively, according to the report.
In second place, the Toyota Hilux was also located for the second consecutive year.
Between the 0 km models exclusively, the most sought after in 2021 were the Chevrolet Onix, the Fiat Strada and the Hyundai HB20 in first, second and third put respectively.
The most sought-after top models differ in Montevideo and the interior. While in the capital the Chevrolet Corsa and the Honda Civic are among the most sought-after used; inside, the most sought after model is the Toyota Hilux.
Instead, among the 0 km the most sought after models in Montevideo are the Chevrolet Onix, the Fiat Strada and the Suzuki Swift. At interior repeats the Strada, followed by the Hyundai HB20 and the Volkswagen Saveiro.
“In general, we can say that 2021 was a good year for the national automotive market, despite all the setbacks it had to face. This makes us think that once the ups and downs of the pandemic have been overcome, the coming quarters will be positive for the market and we will see reports with positive balances in almost all the variables analyzed,” said Jonathan Szwarcman, manager of Marketplace Vehicles for Mercado Libre Uruguay.
The age and value of used
In 2021, almost 40% of MercadoLibre users searched for models between 2013 and 2018, while about 20% looked for models between 2016 and 2019, and the same amount, older cars before 2001.
Regarding the values, for the most sought-after range (between 6 and 10 years old), the most sought-after models have varied prices. Starting at $7,700 for the Chevrolet Corsa up to more than $30,000 for high-end cars, like the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes Benz C Class.
For the older cars (over 21 years old), as expected, the prices are lower: they vary between US$3,800 and US$15,500.
For the newer used models (less than 5 years old), the price range between the most sought-after models is wider. From $10,600 to nearly $75,000, according to Free Market.
