RIO DE JANEIRO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's vehicle production dropped 0.6 percent with 695,700 units in the first quarter of 2019, compared to the same period of last year, the National Association of Vehicle Manufacturers (Anfavea) announced on Thursday.
Despite the slump in production, however, the Anfavea said sales within the Brazilian domestic market increased 11.4 percent during the first three months of the year.
March statistics show, according to the employers of the Brazilian auto assemblers, the production of vehicles, vans, trucks, and buses reached only 240,500 units, representing a 10.1 percent decrease compared to the same month of last year, and a 6.4 percent drop compared to February.
Anfavea President Antonio Megale said at a press conference that lower production levels in March were due to the decrease in exports, the workers strike in the Ford factory and severe flooding in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Sao Paulo.
Additionally, Brazil exported 39,000 vehicles in March, representing a 3.7 percent drop compared to February, and a 42.2 percent drop compared to March of last year.
The decrease in vehicle production in the first quarter meant a loss of 987 jobs in March.
According to Anfavea, the Brazilian automotive sector employed 129,980 people at the end of March, 1,241 fewer than that of one year ago.
Between 2017 and 2018, vehicle assemblers contributed a third of Brazil's industrial growth and a quarter of the total growth of the gross domestic product, which showed the importance of the sector, Megale added.
