SAO PAULO/TOKYO — Brazil’s demand for inexpensive electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids has seen sales of Chinese autos swell eightfold in the country this year, cutting into Western automakers’ hold over the market.
Total sales of passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles in Brazil totaled 208,000 units in April, according to the country’s Fenabrave dealers association. April’s sales volume rose 37% from a year earlier, with Fiat, Volkswagen and General Motors holding the top three spots with a combined 50% share.