Features
10 nov 18

Sao Paulo auto show, Top 10 new cars

Latin America’s largest auto show is taking place in Sao Paulo from November 8-18 and despite several eye-catching concept cars being on display at the event, here are the main models to actually be in showrooms throughout Brazil within the next few months. They are listed from most to least expensive.

We kick off our list with the Porsche Macan crossover which is available for pre-sale with first deliveries expected in the first quarter of 2019. Starting at R$329,000 (US$88,000), it has a 2.0 turbo engine with 252hp.



Coming in at the same price is another premium model, being the BMW 530e hybrid plug-in sedan which is also available for pre-sale orders at R$329,000. With a total output of 252hp, it is one of three hybrids on our list.  

The Lexus ES 300H (below) hybrid sedan was also featured at the auto show. It will be available in December (2018) with a starting price of R$240,000. In fact, the entire Lexus line is hybrid in the country. One other brand new model on display was the UX 250H hatch.  

The first vehicle on our list under R$200,000 is the best-selling electric vehicle (EV) in the world, the 149hp Nissan Leaf compact hatch with 389km of range. It will be available in Brazil in 1H19 for R$178,400, and it is one of four new compact EVs to go head-to-head with each other next year.  

Coming in at nearly the same price is the Chevrolet Bolt compact hatch which will also go on sale in the first semester of 2019. It has an output of 203hp, a range of 383km, and will start at R$175,000.



Our next car, which has long been on sale in other markets, is finally arriving in Brazil. The Honda Accord sedan, priced at R$162,000 was launched at the auto show with pre-sales availability. It is equipped with a 2.0 turbo engine putting out 255hp.



Volkswagen is also launching a plug-in hybrid, the 1.4 turbo Golf GTE hatchback which has a 150hp combustion engine and a 102hp electric motor. It should be launched in 2H19 and a price has not been defined but it should be somewhere between R$155,000-R$175,000.  

Meanwhile, Kia is planning to launch the Kia Soul compact crossover hatch EV in 2019. It is set up with a 110hp motor and has a range of 320km. Although its price has not been released, it will likely be priced to compete with the Renault Zoe.


 

The auto show also featured the Renault Zoe compact hatch which is equipped with an 88hp motor and 300km of range. With a starting price of R$149,990, it is the lowest-priced full-electric being offered in Brazil right now.

Finally, Caoa Chery intends to launch the Chery Tiggo 7 (below) SUV in January, 2019, at a speculated price of R$100,000-R$110,000. It is part of a family of Tiggo’s being introduced next year which include the lower priced Tiggo 5x and the higher priced Tiggo 8.


 

Authored by: Daniel Bland