Volkswagen begins exports of Tera SUV to Latin America

Volkswagen do Brasil has begun exporting its new Tera SUV to Latin American countries. The first units of the model are being shipped to Argentina, Aruba, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Shipments are being carried out via the Port of Santos (SP) as well as through overland routes.

According to the company, exports of the Tera are also scheduled to begin later in 2025 to Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and St. Maarten.

The Tera is the fifth of 21 models that Volkswagen plans to launch in South America by 2028 as part of a R$20 billion investment in the region. The SUV was developed and manufactured entirely in Brazil and is one of the automaker’s flagship projects aimed at strengthening its position in Latin American markets.

Hendrik Muth, Volkswagen’s Vice President of Sales in South America, said the Tera’s export launch reinforces the company’s status as Brazil’s leading vehicle exporter, with more than 4.3 million units shipped abroad to date.

The export operation for the Tera involved multiple divisions within the company, including logistics, production, and sales. Anderson Ramos, Director of Logistics for Volkswagen in South America, emphasized that coordination between carriers, port operators, and internal teams was critical for the successful rollout of international distribution.

Volkswagen currently operates out of several Brazilian ports: Santos (SP) and Paranaguá (PR) for exports, and Suape (PE), Vitória (ES), and Paranaguá for imports.

The Tera was officially launched in Brazil on June 5, 2025, and received 12,296 orders within the first 50 minutes of sales, according to Volkswagen. The event marked the brand’s largest-ever “Open House” launch in the country.

The model also earned top marks in Latin NCAP safety tests. Standard features include six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, traction and stability control, and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Between January and June 2025, Volkswagen do Brasil exported 55,331 vehicles—a 54.21% increase over the same period in 2024, when 35,879 units were shipped.

The main export destinations during the first half of the year were Argentina (28,501 units), Mexico (13,435 units), Colombia (5,100 units), and Chile (3,057 units). The company also exported to markets in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa, including Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Madagascar, Côte d’Ivoire, and Rwanda.

Volkswagen’s top export models in the first half of 2025 were the Polo (22,893 units), Saveiro (11,906), the new T-Cross (9,860), and the new Nivus (8,732).

Source: Auto Ranking

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