New car sales in Brazil pick up for first time since 2013

BRASILIA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- New car sales in Brazil rose 3.65 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period of 2016, showing positive growth for the first time since 2013, industry figures showed on Tuesday.

The National Federation of Automotive Vehicle Distribution reported 1,019,400 new cars and light passenger vehicles were sold from January to June, compared to 983,495 units in the first half of the previous year.

Sales of heavy vehicles, such as trucks, dipped 13.8 percent over the same period of last year, picking up slightly towards the end of the six months.

Car dealers expect to sell a total of 2,129,165 vehicles in 2017, for a 3.8-percent increase year-on-year, after four years of falling auto sales.