Registrations were down 6% in April but up 5% YTD. Škoda is in its fourth year at the top, having dethroned VW. Renault was at the top in 2003 and while it's along way form regaining that position, at least it's having success in 2026.
So too are Chinese brands, somewhat late to the party but starting to arrive in numbers. With poor sales at home, targeting exports is a way to keep factories gainfully employed.
Photo; Renault.
Import duty on fully built up vehicle has given local manufacturers protection. It's complicated. Vehicles imported from MERCOSUR nations (Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia) are tariff free. Mexico (quota-based) and Ecuador have reduced or zero tariffs on light vehicles.
Up to 50,000 units of electric and hybrid vehicles can be imported tariff free annually. This especially benefits vehicles from China but how the 50k limit is applied if reached I'm unsure. It could explain why the top brands have reduced market share.
Data source: ACARA. Photo: VW (Amarok).
The data from here is variable, to put it politely. It depends on importers reporting and that is inconsistent. So while registrations are down, too much volume isn't available to make a call on that.
BYD reported registrations in 2025 but not so far this year. The same applies to GAC. Vinfast's figure below is for March only. Many smaller imported brands have never been included but their numbers will be tiny.
2026 market share figures are improved by the omission of some from 2025. The 2025 share is for the complete year. Despite that, Toyota is the dominant brand anyway.
Data: Campi. Photos: Toyota (Wigo & Innova).
