Collaboration, continuous development, and joint creation of value
Since 1981, a quiet but consequential institution has been shaping how Volkswagen's commercial vehicles reach the farthest corners of Brazil. ACAV, the association born from the absence of any unified dealer infrastructure, has spent 45 years transforming that void into a network of more than 140 service points, thousands of strategic analyses, and a partnership with the manufacturer that both sides describe as foundational to market leadership. Its anniversary is less a celebration of age than a reckoning with purpose — a reminder that enduring competitive advantage is rarely built by a single company, but by the ecosystems that surround it.
- A 56% surge in training investment last year signals that ACAV is not coasting on its history — it is accelerating into a more demanding market.
- With electrification, digital transformation, and supply chain complexity converging, the commercial vehicle sector is shifting faster than any single dealer could navigate alone.
- ACAV's production of more than 10,000 strategic reports annually turns information asymmetry — a silent killer of market share — into a coordinated advantage across the network.
- Volkswagen's 20-plus years of leadership in Brazilian commercial vehicles is not incidental; executives on both sides credit the manufacturer-association partnership as the architecture behind that durability.
- The sale of roughly 32,000 trucks and 6,000 buses in 2025 reflects a network operating at scale — but scale without alignment is fragile, and alignment is precisely what ACAV exists to maintain.
In 1981, when Volkswagen trucks first entered the Brazilian market, there was no shared infrastructure to support the dealers who would sell and service them. That absence gave rise to ACAV, the Brazilian Association of Volkswagen Truck and Bus Dealers, which this year marks 45 years by taking stock of what it has built — and what it must build next.
Today the association oversees more than 140 service points across Brazil and produced over 10,000 strategic reports last year alone, feeding market intelligence back into the network to help dealers make sharper decisions. It also increased training investments by 56 percent — a figure that speaks to urgency as much as ambition.
The relationship between ACAV and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus has matured into something both sides describe as genuinely collaborative. Roberto Cortés, who leads the truck and bus division, calls it a model of joint value creation. Ricardo Alouche, vice president for sales and after-sales, credits the partnership with sustaining more than two decades of market leadership in commercial vehicles — a position that requires constant, coordinated effort to hold.
The numbers behind that leadership are substantial: approximately 32,000 trucks and 6,000 buses sold in 2025, each transaction representing a chain of people — dealers, technicians, service managers — organized and supported by the network ACAV helped build.
As the association moves forward, the pressures are real: electrification is approaching, digital tools are reshaping dealer-customer relationships, and supply chains are growing more complex. ACAV's president, Marco Borba, acknowledges that the market demands faster adaptation and deeper alignment. The 45-year milestone, then, is not a finish line — it is a moment to recognize what has been constructed and to begin preparing for what must come next.
In 1981, when the first Volkswagen trucks rolled into Brazil, there was no infrastructure to support them—no unified voice for the dealers who would sell and service them, no shared strategy, no network. That gap led to the creation of ACAV, the Brazilian Association of Volkswagen Truck and Bus Dealers, which this year marks 45 years of existence by looking back at what it has built and forward at what comes next.
Today, ACAV oversees a network of more than 140 service points scattered across Brazil's territory. It is, by any measure, a sprawling operation. But the association's work extends far beyond managing locations. Last year alone, it increased its spending on dealer training by 56 percent and produced more than 10,000 strategic reports—analyses meant to guide decision-making across the network and, by extension, to sharpen the brand's competitive edge in a market that grows more complex each year.
The relationship between ACAV and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus has deepened over four decades into something that executives on both sides describe as collaborative. Roberto Cortés, who leads the truck and bus division, frames it as a model built on "collaboration, continuous development, and the joint creation of value." The association, he suggests, is not merely a service organization but a strategic partner aligned with the manufacturer's long-term interests. Ricardo Alouche, the company's vice president for sales, marketing, and after-sales, credits this partnership with helping Volkswagen maintain more than 20 years of market leadership in commercial vehicles—a position that does not hold without constant, coordinated effort.
What makes ACAV's role distinctive is its function as a source of market intelligence. The thousands of reports it generates each year feed back into the network, helping dealers understand trends, adjust operations, and respond to customer needs with greater precision. In an industry where information asymmetry can cost money and market share, this flow of analysis has become a competitive advantage in itself. Marco Borba, ACAV's president, emphasizes that the association's core mission remains unchanged: to support dealer development and provide strategic guidance. But he also acknowledges that the market is demanding more innovation, faster adaptation, and deeper alignment between dealers and manufacturer.
The numbers suggest the model is working. In 2025, the Volkswagen truck and bus network sold approximately 32,000 trucks and 6,000 buses—a volume that reflects both the strength of the operation and the trust customers place in it. These are not small figures. They represent thousands of transactions, thousands of service interactions, thousands of relationships maintained across a vast country. Behind each sale and each service appointment is a dealer, a technician, a parts manager, a customer service representative—all of them part of a network that ACAV helped to organize and continues to support.
As the association enters its next phase, the pressure to innovate will only increase. The commercial vehicle market in Brazil is evolving: electrification is coming, digital tools are reshaping how dealers interact with customers, supply chains are becoming more complex. ACAV's role will be to help its members navigate these shifts without losing the operational excellence and customer focus that have defined the network for decades. The 45-year milestone is not an endpoint but a marker—a moment to acknowledge what has been built and to prepare for what must be built next.
Notable Quotes
The 45 years of ACAV reflect a model based on collaboration, continuous development, and the creation of shared value, united by a common objective: to strengthen the dealer network and contribute to sustainable business growth.— Roberto Cortés, president and CEO of VW Caminhões e Ônibus
ACAV's role has always been to drive development and provide strategic support to dealers. The market demands increasing innovation, and we will continue working intensively with the manufacturer to ensure business growth and service excellence.— Marco Borba, president of ACAV
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does an association like ACAV matter? Couldn't Volkswagen just manage the dealers directly?
You could, but you'd lose something crucial. ACAV is a peer organization—dealers trust it in a way they might not trust the manufacturer. It translates between the two worlds, speaks both languages. That trust is what allows the network to move together.
The 56 percent increase in training investment—that's a significant jump. What triggered it?
The market is changing faster. Electrification, digital tools, new customer expectations. If dealers don't have the skills to handle those shifts, the whole network falls behind. ACAV recognized that and doubled down.
You mentioned 10,000 strategic reports. That's a lot of paper. Who reads them, and do they actually change anything?
They're not really paper anymore—they're data, analysis, market intelligence. Dealers use them to understand local demand, adjust inventory, plan hiring. The manufacturer uses them to spot trends across the network. They're the connective tissue.
The network has 140 service points. Is that enough to cover Brazil?
Brazil is vast. 140 points is substantial, but it's also a network that's still growing. The goal is presence everywhere customers need it, which means continuing to expand and strengthen existing locations.
What happens if the market shifts and dealers can't adapt fast enough?
That's the real risk. ACAV's job is to make sure that doesn't happen—to keep the network ahead of change, not behind it. The next five years will test whether they can do that.