69 Anyone who follows the automotive industry and traffic issues knows that fleet renewal has been seen for at least two decades as one of the main tools with which to reduce accidents and emissions. Despite the consensus, in 2025 Brazil once again lacks a program to get old vehicles and those in poor condition off the streets and roads, replacing them with modern, efficient products. Fortunately, all is not lost regarding the development and application of a program to renew the Brazilian vehicle fleet. Momentum has built in recent years, with the intensification of discussions and even action to decarbonize traffic. Emissions reductions and fuel efficiency gains in the last three decades would be enough to justify even greater efforts on the part of the government and all the links in the automotive sector to drive renewal. New cars are 80% cleaner than those produced 30 years ago, and in trucks the improvement is 87%. The Brazilian fleet exceeded 47 million light and heavy vehicles in 2023, along with 13.4 million motorcycles, according to Sindipeças. From 2020 to 2023, the fleet grew by only 0.7% on average a year, corroborating the aging process. The average age of cars, trucks, and buses continues to rise, reaching 10 years and 8 months – two years older than a decade ago. However, segment analysis shows that cargo vehicles are more of a concern. There are 2.2 million units on the roads, with an average age of around 12 years and X months, compared with 11 years and 1 month for the 38.4 million cars, 8 years and 9 months for the 6.2 million light commercial vehicles, and 11 years and 3 months for the 388,900 buses. Sindipeças, which represents auto parts manufacturers, says the increase in the value of new vehicles driven by the incorporation of new safety or anti-pollution technologies, in addition to the economic situation, creates a scenario unfavorable to change. Fleet renewal, therefore, is indispensable in this process, which depends, of course, on public policies, and coordinated, regular action, with the willingness of various representative bodies. The Fleet Renewal Coalition, which represents ANFIR, Anfavea, Fenabrave, and Sindipeças, and workers aims to help. The President of Fenabrave, who took office at the beginning of this year, Arcelio Junior, is also the president of this group that was formed ten years ago. The Coalition’s work was made a priority by the President for his three-year term as the head of the federation of car dealers. Arcelio Junior understands that the issue deserves attention from the federal government, but says that there are difficulties, at the moment, facing the creation of a fund to pay for old vehicles so owners can buy newer ones. Lines of credit with affordable interest rates are essential. Arcelio does not yet see the implementation of fleet renewal combined with mandatory vehicle inspection in the short term. He promises, however, to work to make progress in the next three years and to have a program that starts with trucks and includes automobiles in a second stage. In addition to safety and the environment, Arcelio Junior says a successful fleet renewal policy represents opportunities for growth in the automotive sector and the country’s economy. More vehicle sales and increased production sustains and creates jobs in the automotive sector which employs close to 500,000 people in direct jobs. It also contributes to greater transport efficiency, especially in the cargo segment. Old trucks compromise logistics and increase costs that reduce the competitiveness of Brazilian products and services in the international market. The modernization of the fleet is, therefore, a winwin game, strategic for a country that intends to be sustainable and proposes a better quality of life. Renewing the fleet is a win-win game The removal of aging vehicles from the streets and roads is, above all, a social responsibility
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