Sao Paulo
Chinese truck maker Foton is moving to online sales in Brazil, due to an expected rise in demand for light commercial vehicles driven by the boom in online sales and home delivery services.
“Due to the lockdown, online sales have become more important, and that is a trend that is here to stay,” said Luiz Carlos Mendonca de Barros, president of Foton’s board of directors in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, in an interview with Xinhua. “There will be an increase in demand for the logistics of distributing goods to residences, and because of that there will be demand for light and medium trucks,” he said. “Car dealerships have opted to sell Foton trucks. They know the market well and are aware that products made by Foton, which has a portfolio of all the latest models, have extraordinary potential,” said De Barros.
The executive, who is also Brazil’s former minister of communications and ex-president of the National Economic and Social Development Bank, noted the South American country represents the largest market for trucks in Latin America and the fifth largest worldwide.
Foton’s goal is to grab 10 percent of that market by 2023, when it aims to sell 5,000 vehicles. “Our trucks are starting to meet Brazilian demand and we think that this is a strategic moment, despite the (COVID-19) crisis,” De Barros said.—Xinhua
