Brazil auto production rises for 2nd month in June

SAO PAULO, July 6 (Reuters) - Automobile output in Brazil rose 8.4 percent in June from May, climbing for the second straight month as manufacturers stepped up production to meet growing consumer demand, the national automakers' association Anfavea said on Monday.

Sales also surged 21.5 percent in June from the previous month and 17.2 percent from June 2008, Anfavea said. On a year-on-year basis, output slumped 8.2 percent last month.

Brazil's national dealers' association, known as Fenabrave, had already said last week that sales had jumped to a record high in June, helped by improving consumer confidence and government tax breaks that have led to lower showroom prices.

Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, is a major market for global automakers such as Italy's Fiat SpA (FIA.MI), Germany's Volkswagen AG (VOWG.DE), U.S.-based General Motors Corp GMGMQ.PK and Ford Motor Co (F.N). Asian and French manufacturers are also increasingly relying on Brazil to offset slumping sales at home. (Reporting by Alberto Alerigi Jr., Writing by Todd Benson and Gerald E. McCormick)