Strong Car Sales Lift Spirits at Brazil Auto Show.

Automakers in Brazil last month notched their strongest sales in nearly four years, a leading trade group said on Wednesday, adding to optimism as the auto industry kicked off the biannual Sao Paulo International Motor Show.

Sales of new cars, trucks and buses surged 25.6 percent in October compared with a year earlier to nearly 255,000 vehicles, according to automakers association Anfavea. That was the most since December 2014.

“This means that we are coming back to the years when we had a very strong market,” Anfavea President Antonio Megale told journalists at the auto show.

Brazil was one of the world’s five biggest auto markets until a downturn this decade. It remains a major base of operations for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE), General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co.