June price lists again showed price adjustments in some models and frozen values in others. There are two parallel and very different realities. While the access models are those that less profit margin left to the manufacturers because their price is very close to the profit limits of the brands, the mid-range and high-end ones are the ones that have the best profitability and therefore can last longer without increases because there is a little more leftover.
This is how, despite the efforts of the terminals and dealers to continue offering some discounts and bonuses, or financing at a 0% rate, the majority of the cheapest cars of each brand they had between 3 and 5% increase in June, since “no model should cause losses to a factory. You can make an effort for a while not to make money to put a model at the top of the market, or but losing is not an option,” they explained from the sector. The list with the most economical model from each of the eight manufacturers –ford It does not enter because it does not sell cars but only pick-ups, SUVs and utility vehicles – it has changed slightly starting in the sixth month of 2024.
Looking at the official lists, we continue to find that the car with the best price among all models and categories is still the Toyota Etiosbut since it is a car that No longer manufactured From September 1, 2024, it is a price for the remainder of units that may remain on the market unsold, a price must be put on it. It is just a formality, because in May only 89 units were sold. For reference, the 5-door model with basic equipment is priced at $16,720,000but finding one is an almost impossible mission.
By fully entering into the models that do have sales volume, however, Toyota stopped offering the best alternative as had happened in previous months. Who came forward was Stellantiswho left the Citroën C3 PureTech Live with manual transmission, at the same price it had in May, that is, at $19,227,600which, converted to MEP dollars, is equivalent to USD 14,994. This allowed it to offer the most affordable car on the market.
However, it is necessary to see if Citroën’s strategy is to sell many C3s taking advantage of its price or it is only to position it as the cheapest, because in May they sold only 409 units and in the five months of the year they have sold 1,922 cars, which shows that The average is less than 400 units per month.
Unlike Stellantis, Toyota’s decision was to apply a 5% increase in the low range of its portfolio, which brought the price of the Etios heir, the Toyota Yaris, to be the second option when the price is taken as a comparison variable. The XS version, with a hatchback body and manual gearbox, costs now $19,326,000 or USD 15,071.
But, unlike its rival of French origin, the Yaris sold 2,311 cars in May and has a total of 8,387 units for the year, being the fifth best-selling model of 2024 so far.
Although it is another car that is no longer manufactured, The case of the Chevrolet Joy is different from that of the Etios, because there are more units available and it is expected that the dealer network can continue offering it for a while longer. Although there is always resistance to buying a model that is no longer produced because its resale value is lower, it is an opportunity that some decide to take because of the price.
Indeed, the Chevrolet Joy lowered its price a few pesos between May and June, going from offering the N 1.4 version with a manual transmission at $20,271,900 last month to $20,158,900 in the new price list. The equivalence to dollars means that its price in the North American currency is 15,720 MEP dollars. The sales volume is low anyway, just 1,482 cars so far this year, which also includes the new generation Onix version, which shows that it is only a matter of finishing the stock so that the Joy disappears from the lists. of prices.
The best selling car of the last four years and the one that continues to lead 2024 sales despite slowing down sharply in the last two months, is still the Fiat Cronos. In the order established by prices, it appears in fourth place, although due to the lower availability of units of the Citroën C3 and the Chevrolet Joy, it could well be considered second in a somewhat more real market. The car manufactured in Ferreyra, Córdoba, has an access version just above 20 million pesos. The Cronos Like 1.3 GSE is published in $20,886,000, which is equivalent to USD 16,287 of the MEP price.
The availability of units is clearly its great strength and counterweight to complement the price, since in May 1,961 cars were sold and in the sum of the first five months of the year, it totals 13,816, which is equivalent to 9.6% of the automotive market of zero kilometer units.
For several months Peugeot has been offering a model of its popular 208 at very competitive prices. The market response confirms this, because in April it had already been the best-selling car of all segments, and in May it confirmed the position by being the car in the segment with the highest sales volume as well. This is how, after a 4% adjustment for June, the version 208 New Like 1.2 with manual transmission is offered in $21,454,700, which represents 16,731 dollars.
The Peugeot 208 sold 2,455 cars in May and has already accumulated 12,383 units so far this year, which shows it as the true rival to beat for Toyota and its bet with the Yaris. Both models are still below the figures of the Fiat Cronos, which however are decreasing month by month, although it is projected that they will surpass it in the next measurements unless Fiat’s policy varies in relation to its only national product.
Renault continues to be one of those that benefits from the stock of units for manufacturing its access models at the Santa Isabel plant, in Córdoba. The decision of the Argentine subsidiary of the brand was not to modify prices between May and June, so the Renault Logan in its Life 1.6 version with manual gearbox, it continues to be offered in $22,704,283, which represents 17,705 dollars.
Regarding the success of the model, although it has the same platform, it is surpassed by the Sandero, which is priced just 2% more and takes 2.5% of the market. Curiously, in May 408 units of the Logan and 407 of the Sandero were sold, while in the total for the year the latter has 2,262 versus 2,123 for the former. With both models, Renault has 3.1% of the 2024 automotive market.
Volkswagen has also adjusted its prices slightly in June by applying a 3% increase. Thus, the Volkswagen Polo Track MSI is now priced at $23,521,000which converted to MEP dollars are some USD 18,342.
The VW model, however, is one of the best-selling on the market, even despite having a price almost 20% higher than the most affordable models. In May, the Polo sold 967 units, while in the total year it reached 3,934 cars, with a year-on-year increase of 12.1% compared to the same first months of 2023.
Nissan, finally, continues to bring little by little the very good access product that it has to offer, since as its own president has declared, Ricardo Flammini, they will have an attitude of responsible growth and will not import more units than the market validates with their sales numbers. Thus, the Versa in Sense version with manual transmission, which comes from Mexico, has its price in $24,744,400the same price as the previous month, equivalent to $19,296 of the MEP quote.
The sales volume of this model is effectively the lowest among all access models in Argentine terminals, with 86 units in May and a cumulative 698 throughout 2024, although that is an adjustment variable that could change according to the brand’s strategy, possibly once they begin to have the dollars to pay for imports, which will happen in the next few days, during the month of June, since the deadlines established by the Ministry of Economy are 180 days .
