RIO DE JANEIRO, Jul. 2, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- Vehicle sales in Brazil reached a record-high of 300,174 units in June, the National Motor Vehicle Distribution Federation (Fenabrave) said Thursday.

According to the report released by Fenabrave, the data is up 21.5 percent from May and 17.5 percent from the same period last year.

In the first six months of 2009, the total sales also reached a record-high of 1.45 million units, up three percent over the same period in 2008.

The cars and light vehicles sales totaled 289,792 units, up 22 percent from May and 19 percent from the same period last year. In the first six months of 2009, the light vehicle sales totaled 1.39 million units, up 4.14 percent from the same period last year.

The vehicle sales in Brazil have been benefiting from a cut in the Tax over Industrialized Products (IPI), which was first determined by the federal government in December in order to boost vehicle sales, having dropped sharply due to the international financial crisis.

Last Monday, the Brazilian government announced that the IPI cut for the automotive sector was to be renewed for another three months for cars and for another six months for trucks due to pressure from the automotive sector .

As a result, Fenabrave maintained its projection for a 3.13 percent growth for the sector in 2009.