1.   Brazil almost doubled the prime lending rate, cut government spending and raised taxes in a bid to protect the real.

2.   Had the government not acted to protect the real, things could have been worse in the long run, automakers and analysts agree.

3.   In a bid to protect the real, Brazil almost doubled its prime lending rate and announced a series of measures to cut government spending and raise taxes.

4.   Only with such investment will it be possible for Brazil to lower the very high interest rates it has imposed to protect the real.

5.   Protecting the real with high interest rates is a double-edged sword, economists point out.