Luxury Price or Popular? What Would Today’s Price Be for the First Car Manufactured in Brazil Adjusted for Inflation?

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 20/07/2025 at 12:26

Updated on 20/07/2025 at 12:29

Foto: Lothar Spurzem / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0 DE)

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Launched in 1956 as the First Car Manufactured in Brazil, the Romi Isetta Became a National Symbol and a Coveted Item for Collectors

In September 2026, the Romi Isetta will celebrate 70 years since its launch. It was the first car manufactured in Brazil and made an impact cruising the streets of São Paulo in 1956, shortly after leaving the store of Companhia Distribuidora Brasileira Comércio e Indústria, on Rua Marquês de Itu.

Only 16 units were displayed in the beginning, but the impact was lasting. To this day, there are registered vehicles of the model in Detran-SP, and due to their historical value, some are valued at up to R$ 100,000.

The Romi Isetta was compact and charming. With a length of 2.28 meters, a two-stroke two-cylinder engine, a tubular chassis, and a single door, the car captured the public’s attention while it was for sale.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Initial Price and Change in Rules

To determine this value, the first step was to identify the original price of the Romi Isetta in the 1950s. Initially, the car cost the equivalent of US$ 700.

This value quickly changed after alterations in the rules of the national automotive sector, especially after the establishment of GEIA (Executive Group of the Automotive Industry) and the publication of Decree 39,142/1959.

The new legislation limited tax incentives only to cars with at least 70% of parts manufactured in Brazil and capacity for four passengers.

Without Tax Exemption, Price Doubled

The Romi Isetta had only two seats, and as a result, lost the tax benefit. This caused its price to double, rising to US$ 1,400—approximately 60% of the price of a Beetle at that time.

The forced appreciation directly impacted the market and the model’s permanence in the country.

Romi Isetta, First Car Manufactured in Brazil — Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Historical Conversion to Cruzeiros

In 1956, the dollar was worth Cr$ 71.30. Thus, the Romi Isetta was initially sold for Cr$ 49,910.00, increasing to Cr$ 99,820.00 after the legislative change.

The calculation is based on a direct conversion between the value in dollars and the prevailing exchange rate in cruzeiros at the time.

Based on these numbers, the CT Auto team decided to crunch the numbers and apply inflation correction up to the present day.

Using the official calculator from the Central Bank of Brazil, and taking into account the IGP-DI index from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, the updated prices were revealed.

The version of the Romi Isetta launched before the exemption restriction would cost today R$ 37,860.51. The model sold after the creation of GEIA would have a corrected value of R$ 75,721.02.

The numbers show that the pioneering little car would have a significantly high price today, despite its modest size.

Collector Value Goes Beyond Inflation

The interesting thing is that even with the inflation adjustment, the updated value may still be lower than the price charged by collectors.

Some specimens in good condition, according to records from Detran-SP, already exceed R$ 100,000, highlighting the emotional and historical value of the Romi Isetta.

Information from Canal Tech.

Luxury Price or Popular? What Would Today’s Price Be for the First Car Manufactured in Brazil Adjusted for Inflation?

Launched in 1956 as the First Car Manufactured in Brazil, the Romi Isetta Became a National Symbol and a Coveted Item for Collectors

Initial Price and Change in Rules

Without Tax Exemption, Price Doubled

Historical Conversion to Cruzeiros

Collector Value Goes Beyond Inflation

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Luxury Price or Popular? What Would Today’s Price Be for the First Car Manufactured in Brazil Adjusted for Inflation?

Launched in 1956 as the First Car Manufactured in Brazil, the Romi Isetta Became a National Symbol and a Coveted Item for Collectors

Initial Price and Change in Rules

Without Tax Exemption, Price Doubled

Historical Conversion to Cruzeiros

Collector Value Goes Beyond Inflation

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

Secret chamber sealed 4,500 years ago found in the Pyramid of Khufu, and Hawass announces its opening to the world in 2026

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Germany installed vertical solar panels on a lake in Bavaria, and the result broke conventional logic: instead of producing energy at midday peak, the plant generates more early in the morning and in the evening, exactly when families turn on appliances and factories are in full swing.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

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