Circulating fleet grows an ages
By Alzira Rodrigues
A survey by Sindipeças reveals that the circulating fleet of cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks and buses in 2024 on Brazilian streets and highways reached 48 million units, up 2% on 2023.
In the case of cars and trucks, the average age rose by one month year-on-year to 11 years and 2 months and 12 years and 2 months, respectively. There was stability in the average age of light commercial vehicles, at 8 years and 11 months, and also in buses, at 11 years and 4 months.
Considering cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks and buses, the average age of vehicles with four wheels or more rose from 10 years and 10 months in 2023 to 10 years and 11 months last year.
Adding motorcycles, the total fleet reached 62.1 million units in 2024, representing growth of 2.8% over the previous year (60.4 million). In the case of two-wheeled vehicles, the fleet expanded by 5.7%, from 13.3 million to 14 million units. The average age in this case fell from 8 years and 4 months to 8 years.
“After a period of moderate growth (an average of 0.8% between 2016 and 2023), the circulating fleet has returned to a level of expansion of more than 2%. The last time this happened was in 2015, when the boost generated was 2.4%,” says Sindipeças, attributing this performance to the favorable dynamics of economic activity seen over the past year.
The organization also reports that 82% of vehicles in Brazil are concentrated in ten states, especially São Paulo and Minas Gerais, which together account for 43.2% of the fleet.
Sindipeças also points out in its report that the continued ageing of the light and heavy vehicle fleet reflects the difficulty of renewal and the challenges of decarbonization.
The union representing auto parts suppliers has insisted on the need for fleet renewal and vehicle inspection programs as a way of reducing pollutant emissions and road accidents. The subject was discussed at Automec, held last week in São Paulo.
Precisely to show the need for fleet renewal, the organization also details the circulating fleet by age group. “Considering vehicles aged between 0 and 5 years old, it is clear that this portion of the circulating fleet is falling, with the share shrinking from 38.5% to 22.3% between 2015 and 2024,” he points out.
In absolute terms, the number of vehicles with up to 5 years of use fell from 16.5 million in 2015 to 10.7 million in 2024, a reduction of around 35.2%. “The drop reflects the slowdown in production and sales of 0 km vehicles until 2023, caused by economic uncertainties, lower consumer confidence, rising prices and changes in mobility preferences,” says Sindipeças.
