Overview
- Chinese brands dominated Brazil’s 2024 EV market, taking more than 80% of over 61,000 sales, led by BYD and GWM.
- In Mexico, Chinese-made cars reached about 15% of the market last year as authorities imposed tariffs of up to 50% on imports from China including autos, appliances, and clothing.
- To curb low-priced parcels from platforms such as Temu and Shein, Brazil is phasing out tax-free thresholds for sub-$50 shipments and Chile began charging a 19% VAT on low-value packages in October.
- Trade imbalances widened, with Mexico reporting a $101 billion deficit with China from January to October 2025 and Argentina nearly $8.2 billion for the year.
- Commercial momentum persists as BYD unloaded more than 5,800 EVs and hybrids in Argentina under a quota allowing up to 50,000 tariff-free imports, while China’s exports to Mexico rose roughly 150% from 2017 to 2024.