The sky over São Paulo became a stage for Chinese automaker MG to mark its debut in Brazil last week. A drone show opened with designs of symbols and cars in motion and ended with an illuminated cascade. Starting Saturday (22), the São Paulo Auto Show will be yet another stage for Chinese companies, which already account for nearly 15% of car sales in Brazil, to unveil their new offerings in a country that is emerging as one of their largest markets outside Asia.
Before that, on Tuesday (18), another milestone will mark a new step in the expansion of Chinese automakers in Brazil: the announcement of Geely’s production start in the country. Unlike BYD and GWM, the first Chinese brands to manufacture locally, Geely will not have its own plant. Instead, it will use Renault’s facilities in São José dos Pinhais (Paraná).
Geely recently acquired 26.4% of Renault’s Brazilian operations, clearing the way for its entry into the Brazilian market with a ready-made dealership network and industrial infrastructure.
Details of the products that will result from this partnership, which gave rise to a new company, Renault Geely do Brasil, will be revealed on Tuesday (18) at a ceremony attended by President Lula. The alliance replicates the strategy already adopted by the two companies in South Korea, also focused on the development and production of hybrid and electric vehicles.
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Another partnership—between Stellantis and Leapmotor, which formed an international joint venture two years ago—also smoothed the Chinese brand’s entry into the Brazilian market. Leapmotor launched its first models in the country this month, backed by Stellantis’s sales, after-sales, and logistics infrastructure. The next phase of the agreement is expected to involve the production of Leapmotor vehicles at one of Stellantis’s Brazilian plants.
This growing proximity between Western and Asian automakers will set the tone for this year’s auto show. In addition to Geely and Leapmotor, now partnered with established manufacturers, another seven Chinese brands are on the schedule for press presentations ahead of the show’s opening to the public. For the first time, these newcomers will join the press pool, made up of the journalists covering the event. Chinese automakers will account for almost half the press agenda.
A total of 11 Chinese brands currently sell in Brazil. Beyond Geely, Leapmotor, and MG—which debuted only days ago—BYD and GWM sell vehicles both assembled locally and imported. Others have announced production plans, such as GAC and Chery Group’s Omoda and Jaecoo. Their plans include developing ethanol-powered hybrid vehicles.
Chery, which operates through a partnership with Brazilian group CAOA, and Jac Motors, more focused on commercial vehicles, have been in the market longer. CAOA is expected to announce a new partnership with another Chinese automaker during the show.
The success of China’s fast-paced advance in Brazil is largely tied to its focus on hybrid and electric models that offer cutting-edge technology at competitive prices. Long warranties—up to seven years for the vehicle and eight for batteries—combined with aggressive marketing and communications campaigns, round out the strategy.
There is also a degree of curiosity among Brazilian consumers, who stopped looking skeptically at Chinese cars after Chery’s brand-building efforts led by CAOA founder, Carlos Alberto de Oliveira Andrade, who died in 2021.
Some of the newcomers are betting on simple, compact, fully electric models aimed at customers who never imagined owning this type of vehicle. Luxury brands like Zeekr, meanwhile, are challenging the dominance of Germany’s premium automakers (Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz) both in Brazil and Europe.
Some Chinese-branded vehicles are produced by companies that do not operate in China. This is the case of Omoda and Jaecoo, created by Chery specifically for export and international operations. Their products are designed to match the tastes of non-Chinese consumers, especially in Europe.
MG is not present in China. The brand is British (Morris Garages), founded in Oxford more than 100 years ago. The launch of its first three vehicles, all fully electric, was built around its British heritage.
A common thread among the Chinese brands is their reliance on local executives. They lead strategic areas such as commercial operations and network development, and most have built careers at one or more automakers already established in the country.
Brazil has gone seven years without an auto show. The last edition—held every two years since 1960—took place in November 2018. From then on, some automakers concluded it was no longer worthwhile to spend on luxurious stands to display their models statically.
At the same time, luxury brands began importing hybrid and EV models and believed their target audience needed to test the new technology rather than simply admire the cars from the outside. They shifted toward niche events. There was also a sense of fatigue among the industry and the public with the world’s major auto shows.
The National Association of Vehicle Manufacturers (ANFAVEA), which represents the sector, announced that there would be no show in 2020, breaking the biennial tradition. With the arrival of the pandemic that year, fairs lost even more relevance.
The 2018 show was a memorable one. During the opening in November, then-President Michel Temer rushed to sign the decree regulating the federal incentive program for the sector, then known as Rota 2030.
At the time, Antonio Megale—then the association’s president and the industry’s chief advocate for the program, who died in 2023—scrambled to ensure the decree was signed before the incoming administration of Jair Bolsonaro took office.
President Lula is among those responsible for the show’s return. During a visit to ANFAVEA’s headquarters in April 2024, Lula said he missed the days when he visited the event. Márcio de Lima Leite, the association’s president at the time, made bringing back the show one of the hallmarks of his tenure.
Leite visited auto shows that were still thriving, such as Detroit and Beijing, and adopted elements from each to design the new São Paulo format, which will be open to the public from November 22 to 30.
From Detroit, Leite adopted the idea of creating a test-drive track covering 14,000 square meters, including the covered area inside the exhibition pavilion.
“The Auto Show has always been a reflection of the moment our industry is going through. In this edition, we want to show not only the products but also how much the sector has reinvented itself in efficiency, innovation, and sustainability,” said ANFAVEA President Igor Calvet, about the event’s return.
Given the need for space to test the vehicles, the area allocated to stands has shrunk. As a result, RX, the event organizer, has capped each stand at 500 square meters. In addition to automakers, the show, now in the electrification era, will also include companies such as WEG, a battery charger manufacturer.
Some automakers have stood by their decision to no longer participate in auto shows. General Motors, Volkswagen, and Ford will not be present. Nor will any brand from the so-called premium segment, such as BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes-Benz, which prefer to host their own events for niche audiences.
Despite the absence of luxury brands, the event will feature a special exhibition area with icons such as the Bugatti EB110, McLaren Senna, and Lamborghini Miura, along with collections from automotive museums.
While some of the veteran brands believe it is no longer worthwhile to exhibit at the show, the newcomers are enthusiastically seizing the opportunity. Right after launching the brand with the drone light show, MG executives were already planning the auto show as their next chance to display their cars. For MG Sales Director Fábio Klemenc, the auto show is a special moment. “We have to be where the public is,” he said.
