Automobile sales in Latin America rose for a fifth month in September as firm growth in the region’s largest markets outpaced a slowdown in demand in Chile and Peru.

Sales of 407,900 automobiles in September rose by 15pc from year-earlier levels, combined data from regional automobile associations showed.

The pace of the increase in August and September was the fastest since August 2021.

The sales volume consisted of combined sales from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Strong automobile sales coincided with and helped to support rising lube demand in Latin America’s largest markets in the first seven months of this year.