In the Brazilian market for vehicles propelled solely by electricity, the ET3 model made by BYD Co. Ltd of China was the ninth-best seller last year, 124 examples having been purchased, O Globo reports.

Data collected by the Brazilian electric vehicle association, ABVE, indicate that 34,990 electric, hybrid or mains-rechargeable hybrid vehicles were sold in Brazil last year, 77 per cent more than the year before, the Brazilian newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The ABVE data indicate that 4,545 such vehicles were sold in Brazil last month, the most in any month since records began in 2012, the report says.

It quotes ABVE President Adalberto Maluf as attributing the growth to sales of light trucks to logistics companies, and of light vehicles to car hire companies.

Mr Maluf, who works for BYD, expects sales to keep growing this year, particularly sales to food delivery enterprises, taxi operators and transport network companies, O Globo says.