China is the source market for imports that has remained the most stable since 2012, since in that year it represented 42% of regional purchases and in 2020 it represents 72%.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
After vehicle sellers in Guatemala in 2020 faced a complex panorama as a result of the crisis caused by the pandemic, during the first quarter of the year a 30% y-o-y increase in the number of new imported units was reported.
Statistics from the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT) detail that in the first three months of 2021, close to 9,300 new vehicles were imported in the country, a figure that exceeds by 30% what was reported in the same period of 2020.
The authorities in Guatemala informed that the importation and registration of used vehicles that are seven years old or older, and whose engine does not start, will not be allowed.
The importer or assistant of the Customs Agent duly accredited before the Customs Service, may request before the customs authority, if deemed appropriate, the authorization to carry out a permitted activity whose objective is the corroboration of the starting or ignition of the vehicle, informed the Intendencia de Aduanas.
From January to September 2020, motorcycle imports in the region totaled $237 million, 11% less than in the same period of 2019, a drop explained by the behavior of purchases from El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Costa Rica.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
Shortage of some vehicle lines due to the drop in production and lack of space in cargo ships are some of the factors that will affect distributors competing in the local market during 2021.
Companies affiliated to the Association and Importers and Distributors of Motor Vehicles (Aidva), sold during last year 27,273 units, a figure that is lower by 7% than what was reported in 2019.
From January to September 2020, Central American imports of vehicle batteries totaled $155 million, and purchases from Korean companies increased 27% compared to the same period in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graph"]
In Central America, tires for buses and trucks from Thailand have gained importance in terms of the amount purchased, since in the first half of 2014 they represented 0.4% of total imports and for the same period of 2020 the proportion rose to 5%.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
From January to June 2020, Central American countries imported light duty trucks for $67 million, and 64% was purchased by companies in Guatemala and Costa Rica.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
In the first half of 2020, imports of vehicle batteries in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala increased in year-on-year terms, and in Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama there were decreases.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"].
From January to June 2020, companies in the region bought new tires abroad for $197 million, with Costa Rica being the only market that increased its imports and Panama the Central American country that reduced its purchases the most in year-on-year terms.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Area of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
From January to July 2020, companies in the countries of the region imported new tires from Mexico for $9 million, 23% less than what was reported for the same period in 2019.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In the first quarter of 2020, the region imported vehicle parts and spare parts for an amount of approximately $267 million, 7% less than that recorded in the same period of 2019, a decrease that is mainly explained by the behavior of purchases by Panamanian companies.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graph"]