The Brazilian car market will grow by 2.7% in 2025
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The Brazilian car market will grow by 2.7% in 2025
- The Brazilian passenger car market is projected to grow by approximately 2.7% in 2025 compared to 2024, and is expected to approach the 2 million unit mark it had fallen below since 2020. This market experienced stronger years between 2008 and 2015 and between 2018 and 2019, significantly exceeding 2 million units during those periods. Sales peaked in 2012, with over 2.8 million units sold. The Brazilian car market really has the potential to reach those record levels again in the coming years, due to a still low motorization rate, especially compared to North America even though Brazil remains the best motorized in South America.
- By carmaker, the Stellantis group remains the leader in the Brazilian market (24% of the market) with its Fiat, Peugeot and Citroën brands, ahead of the Volkswagen group (18% of the market), GM (11% of the market) and Hyundai-Kia (10% of the market). They are followed by Toyota (6%), BYD (5%), Honda (5%), Renault (5%), Chery (4%) and Nissan (4%).
- Renault, struggling to gain traction in the Brazilian market, has decided to partner with the Chinese company Geely to achieve a stronger presence there. Geely already has a presence in Brazil, but with a very small market share.
- The two largest Chinese carmakers are currently BYD (5%) and Chery (4%) which account for 75% of Chinese sales in Brazil, with the share of all Chinese carmakers in Brazil reaching 12% in 2025.
The Korean car market will grow by 3.2% in 2025
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The Korean car market will grow by 3.2% in 2025
- The South Korean passenger car market is projected to grow by 3.2% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching a volume of 1.47 million units versus 1.425 million the previous year. Since 2021, this market has hovered around 1.40-1.47 million units and has not yet returned to the record levels of 2015-2020 (around 1.53-1.60 million units).
- Since 2005, the South Korean market had experienced strong growth, gradually increasing from 1 million units in 2005 to 1.57 million in 2015. However, this market experienced an initial period of stagnation between 2015 and 2020, with record levels but no further growth. On the contrary, the market declined in 2021 and remained virtually stable until 2025.
- The Korean Hyundai-Kia group traditionally holds the largest share of the South Korean market (73% by 2025), largely due to its extensive range of models in every market segment. This group far surpasses other carmakers. The two German premium brands, BMW (6% of the market) and Mercedes (4% of the market), occupy second and third place, respectively, bolstered by their strong premium brand image, which some Korean customers struggle to find within the Hyundai-Kia group, despite the presence of Genesis models. BMW and Mercedes are, of course, imported – imports of all brands currently account for 20% of the South Korean market – and thus represent half of all imports in Korea. Next come Tesla (4% of the market), Renault (3% of the market), which has a production facility in Korea, and KGM (3% of the market), which acquired the local brand SsangYong. GM Korea trails behind.
Renault is halting production of the Mobilize Duo and Bento
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Renault is halting production of the Mobilize Duo and Bento
- Created in 2021, Mobilize was a Renault brand dedicated to new mobility and services, created in January 2021. It was presented as the fourth brand of the Renault group including Renault, Dacia and Alpine. The objective assigned to Mobilize was to play the mobility card outside of the classic car and traditional means of transport in order to capture up to 20% of the group's turnover by 2030.
- Among the various products marketed by Mobilize, the Duo and Bento battery electric quadricycles represented the brand's two rolling products, heirs in a way to the old Renault Twizy quadricycle (2011-2023). Production of these two vehicles was organized at the Tangier plant. Only 2,000 Duos were reportedly produced between the model's launch and July 2025, on an assembly line with a capacity of 17,000 vehicles per year. Production of the Bento never truly began (Source : Official Renault press release dated July 4, 2025).
- In December 2025, Renault announced the end of the Mobilize brand, leading to the discontinuation of the Duo and Bento models, as well as the car-sharing system associated with them. According to Inovev, the very low sales of these 2.50-meter-long models, which only accommodated two people, convinced the carmaker that their marketing was not profitable due to a lack of demand, partly attributable to their high price. At €9,990 for the license-free version, the Duo was €2,000 more expensive than the Citroën Ami quadricycle. And at €12,500 for the version requiring a B1 license, it was far too close to the Renault Twingo E-Tech, launched in 2026, which can accommodate four people and will be sold for less than €15,000 in its base version.
- It's true that when the Mobilize Duo and Bento were designed, Renault hadn't yet planned to launch a fully electric Twingo at that price. Production of the Duo and Bento will therefore cease at the end of December 2025.
RAM will launch the Rampage pickup truck in Europe
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RAM will launch the Rampage pickup truck in Europe
- The European market (30 countries: EU + United Kingdom + Switzerland + Norway) for pickup trucks had experienced significant growth between 2010 and 2018, thanks mainly to Nissan and its Navara pickup truck. The company's CEO, Carlos Ghosn, fought hard to promote this type of vehicle in Europe, which was still very marginal at the time, contrasting with the US market, which had a high demand for pickup trucks and still does today (pick-ups represent nearly 20% of the market).
- In Europe, pickup truck sales had doubled from 2012 to 2018, rising from 57,000 to 114,000 units. However, this level was never surpassed, and sales fell to 105,000 in 2019 and then to 75,000 in 2020. After a slight rebound in 2021 (88,000 sales), the pickup truck market fell again in 2022 (62,000 sales). This was the period when the Mitsubishi L200 and Nissan Navara withdrew from the European market due to a lack of demand. Since then, the European pickup market has remained stable, at around 80,000 sales per year, driven by the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux .
- A new pickup truck will be offered in Europe from January 2026. It is the RAM Rampage. The RAM brand originated from the former Dodge Trucks division and is part of the Stellantis group, along with Dodge and Chrysler. The Rampage is the smallest pickup truck in the RAM lineup and is not sold in the United States. It is based on the platform of the previous-generation Jeep Compass and the Alfa Romeo Tonale/ Dodge Hornet. However, its length exceeds 5.00 m. This model will be imported from Brazil where it is produced. Perhaps a consequence of the Mercosur agreement discussed in a previous Auto Analysis.
Renault has already produced 100,000 Renault 5 E-Tech
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Renault has already produced 100,000 Renault 5 E-Tech
- Renault celebrated the production of its 100,000th Renault 5 E-Tech on December 1, 2025, indicating that the brand's all-electric B-segment model is enjoying a noticeable success with European customers but mostly in France. Therefore, a total of 110,000 units can be expected by the end of December 2025, with 25,379 produced in 2024 and 84,621 in 2025. It should be noted that the average annual sales of the Renault Zoe in the B segment were 40,000 vehicles per year (i.e. a total of 430,000 units between 2012 and 2024).
- At the European level, the Renault 5 E-Tech is currently in fourth position among BEVs in 2025 (72,000 sales over the 11-month period), the model being preceded by the Tesla Model Y (121,500 units), the Skoda Elroq (76,500 units) and the Tesla Model 3 (72,500 units), but given the gap with the Tesla Model 3, the Renault 5 E-Tech could take third place before the end of the year.
- Thanks to its strong French background (1972-1984), the Renault 5 E-Tech currently achieves the majority of its sales in France (47% of total sales). It is also projected to be the best-selling battery electric car in France by 2025.
- The Renault 5 E-Tech is poised for a bright future, with a lifespan of at least seven or eight years. At current rates, it could surpass the cumulative sales figures of the Renault Zoe (2012-2024: 430,000 units) before 2030. Inovev is indeed forecasting 500,000 cumulative sales by 2030. Sales of the Renault 5 E-Tech in 2030 are expected to remain around 100,000 vehicles per year.
- The Renault 5 E-Tech could also be part of the "Small Affordable Cars" defined by the European Commission as covering electric vehicles with a maximum length of 4.2 m, since it measures 3.92 m long, or 28 cm less than the length limit.
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