Although it may not seem like it to many people, the automotive market is very important for many car manufacturers. One indicator of this is the number of cars that debuted in Brazil before being released in the rest of the world. 

It's true that many projects are developed here and sold elsewhere, as has happened in the past and will certainly happen in the future. 

The most recent "first-generation" model launched in Brazil is the Volkswagen Nivus, but we have some other models that debuted here, and many people don't even know what they are. 

So, the Senhor Carros team decided to dig up information and came up with a list of some cars that debuted in Brazil. To find out what they are, just check out today's article! Let's go?

Discover now the main models that were driven in Brazil before conquering the streets and roads of the world. 

As we mentioned in our introduction, the most recent example of cars that debuted in Brazil is the Volkswagen Nivus.

The model, which had good pre-sale numbers and shares much of the Polo's technology, is actually a crossover that will be seen on Brazilian streets and roads, and later this year in Argentina.

According to plans from the German automaker, the Nivus should reach all of Latin America and also the European market starting in 2021. But we were the ones who got a taste of its debut. 

The Renault Sandero was a project developed by Renault and Dacia – a Romanian automaker that is part of the French group and focused on low-cost cars. 

Sander was actually a project that involved the collaboration of French, Romanian, and Brazilian professionals. After much study and considering financial viability, Brazil ended up being chosen as the country for the launch, which took place in 2007.

Taking advantage of the Logan platform, the hatchback was quite successful and in its debut year it reached close to 40,000 units sold. 

Dacia only launched the Sandero in Europe in June 2008 after its presentation at the Geneva Motor Show that year. 

In 2011, Renault repeated the feat, and the first facelift of the Sandero also debuted in Brazil before the rest of the world. 

The Sandero is so large that the model has different versions, such as the sporty RS and the GT Line. Furthermore, the model is one of the Brazilian cars that have already been... praised abroad. 

Many believe that the Fox was created solely to supply the South American automotive market. But the story isn't quite that simple. 

The hatchback project was approved by the German headquarters on the condition that it be sold both in Brazil and in Europe. In Europe, the idea was that it would replace the Volkswagen Lupo, a compact car that did not have good sales figures. 

Thus, the automaker launched the Fox first in Brazil in 2003 with the intention of putting the model to the test. Since it performed well here, the compact car arrived in Europe in 2006. 

Volkswagen ran an aggressive marketing campaign at the time, claiming it was returning to its roots. After all, the Fox was intended to be a good-looking, affordable car.

The Europeans hadn't counted on the appreciation of the Brazilian real, which caused the price of the Fox to rise at the time, making it more expensive than expected, which stalled its sales. 

Unlike in Brazil, the Fox wasn't a sales success in Europe and ended up being discontinued there. Here in Brazil, however, the car is still proving successful with good sales figures. 

The Meriva is more one of the cars that premiered in Brazil and that few people know about. 

Before the Spin, Chevrolet had two minivans in its lineup in the mid-2000s, and one of them was the Meriva. 

The project was developed jointly by Brazilian and German engineers from Opel and hit Brazilian streets in 2002. In Europe, the model only arrived in May 2003.

At the time, the Meriva was built on the Corsa platform, which was also sold in the European automotive market. This model was the last Brazilian project to have technical input from the German arm of the automaker. 

Although it was large and spacious and had good sales figures, the Meriva had a reputation for being a gas guzzler, both in terms of gasoline and ethanol. 

The model was discontinued in 2012, ending a golden era of the partnership between Chevrolet and Opel. here in BrazilBesides the Meriva, other cars resulting from this successful partnership were the Kadett, Omega, Vectra, and Astra.

And to round out our list of models that made their debut here, we have the Jeep Compass. 

It all started with the automaker's arrival in Brazil in 2015. Although there's no official statement from the brand, it would be natural for the country to be the location for some kind of launch. And that's what happened. 

The Jeep Compass was launched globally in Brazil in September 2016. 

The model, which is still built on the same platform as the Renegade, only hit the streets and roads abroad in early 2017 when it arrived in the US. In the second half of the same year, the Compass also arrived in Europe. But its debut was here.

The fact that Brazil is a country of continental proportions and has many factories of established brands This makes it easier for models to be launched here from time to time and then move on to other parts of the world. 

Just out of curiosity, brands like Fiat, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Jeep, and Renault build many cars that are intended for both our market and the foreign market.

Now we want to hear from you. Of all the cars that debuted in Brazil, which is your favorite? Leave a comment telling us why you chose it!

After learning about the cars that were launched here first, how about checking out compact models that are stuck in sales? To see the list of hatchbacks that were sales failures in 2020, just click the button below.