In line with the behavior reported since last year, during the first semester, 25,522 new vehicles were registered in Panama, 13% less than in the same period in 2017.
According to the latest data from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, between January and June 2018, 9,012 new vehicles were registered, 21% less than the 11,368 units registered in the same period in 2017.
Between January and May of 2018, 21,716 new units were registered in Panama, 12% less than in the same period in 2017, reaffirming the downward trend observed since last year.
The most up-to-date figures from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic show that from January to May 2018, 7,747 new vehicles were registered, 19% less than the 9,549 units registered in the same period in 2017.
In 2017, the regional spare parts and auto parts market registered a 5% compared to the same period in 2016, motorcycles numbers remain unchanged, and imports of new tires went down 4%.
Data from the interactive report "Automotive market in Central America" compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData.
Between January and April 2018, 17,099 units were registered, 10% less than in the same period in 2017, reaffirming the decreasing trend that has been seen for several months.
Figures from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic report that from January to April 2018, 6,145 new vehicles were registered, 18% less than the 7,454 units registered in the same period in 2017.
Following the downward trend that has been observed for several months, 12,617 units were registered in the first quarter, 11% less than was reported in the same period in 2017.
Figures from the Comptroller General of the Republic show that in the first quarter of 2018, 4,548 new vehicles were registered, 22% less than the 5,790 units registered in the same month in 2017.
Sales projections for this year are not the best, but the decision of three foreign companies to enter the Costa Rican automotive market shows that there is still potential to grow more.
In the last year, the companies Ambacar, from Ecuador, Inchcape, from England, and Euro Advance, linked to Grupo Cofiño, from Guatemala, entered the market through the purchase, partial or total, of local distribution agencies.
Following the trend seen since last year, in January 2018 in car sales in Panama sale registered 3,997 units, 1% less than was reported in the same month in 2017.
Figures from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic show that in January 2018, 1,552 new vehicles were registered, 10% less than the 1,716 units registered in the same month in 2017.
At the end of November 2017 the downward trend continued, adding up to almost 53 thousand new vehicles registered since January, 14% less than in the same period in 2016.
Figures from the Comptroller General of the Republic show that in November 2017 3,556 new vehicles were registered, almost 50% less than the 6,899 units registered in the same period in 2016.
The union of vehicle dealers in Panama expects stability in sales of new cars next year, after the year 2017 showed deceleration with respect to the previous year.
Laestrella.com.pa reports that "...The executive explained in an interview with Xinhua that Panama should not expect to see a greater fall in 2018 than in 2017, following a period between2000 and 2016, with a slight interruption in 2008 and 2009, in relation to with the global crisis, in which Panama's economy grew significantly, as did vehicle sales."
In September, registrations of new vehicles showed a 13% decrease compared to the same month in 2016, mainly explained by a 20% drop in the sale of automobiles.
Figures from the Comptroller General of the Republic show that between January and September, 4,301 new vehicles were registered, 13% less than the 5,083 units registered in the same period in 2016.
According to the guild of vehicle importers, the premium car and SUV segment accounts for about 15% of total sales.
Data from the Association of Importers of Vehicles and Machinery (Aivema), "... on imports and sales shows that the total number of premium cars and SUV's oscillates between 5% and 8% of the 36,000 new units that came into the country in 2017, but they represent 15% of sales.
The business sector estimates that if the trend observed in the first semester is mantained, by the end of the year the overall sales will be 3,000 units below the sales of 2016.
The Superior Council of Private Enterprise (Cosep) estimates that in the first half of the year vehicle sales were 15% lower than those in the same period in 2016.According to the Cosep, last year 20 thousand vehicles were sold.
The dealers' association projects closing 2017 with a 10% drop in new vehicle sales compared to last year.
The figures for the first three months of the year have not been very encouraging for companies that import and sell new cars in the country, since during that period the number of new vehicles registered was 11% lower than in the first quarter of 2016.
Of the total number of vehicles circulating in the country in December 2016, 35% were automobiles, 31% motorcycles, 22% light-duty vehicles and 7% heavy load vehicles.
Figures from the report "Central American Vehicle Park", prepared by CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence Unit, show that as of December 2016, 2.2 million vehicles were circulating in Guatemala, of which more than half were automobiles and motorcycles.