ACEA

Production

This section contains quarterly data on motor vehicle production in the EU member states through 2008, 2009 and 2010. The following categories of vehicles are covered:

Summary

• all motor vehicles in Europe 2008, 2009, 2010 (quarterly production data)
• passenger cars
• light commercial vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes)
• heavy trucks (over 3.5 tonnes)
• buses & coaches (over 3.5 tonnes)

Recovering from the very low levels of 2009, vehicle production in the EU progressed on a slow recovery path in 2010, growing by 11%. However, output was still 8% below levels reached in 2008.

This is part of the executive summary of the ACEA Economic Report 2010. Click here for the full version of the latest ACEA Economic Report. Also of interest is the the 2011 ACEA Automobile Industry Pocket Guide.

Vehicle production

Following 2009, which saw production drop across most segments throughout the year, 2010 marked the recovery of the automobile industry, although pre-crisis levels have not yet been attained. A total of 16.9 million motor vehicles were produced in the EU in the course of 2010, which is 11% more than in the previous year but 8% less when compared to 2008 and 14% less than in the crisis-free year of 2007.

Passenger car production

Despite an 8% increase, new passenger car production reached, in absolute figures, the lowest level recorded since 1997, with the exception of 2009. The number of cars manufactured in the EU in 2010 amounted to 15.1 million units, or 8% more than in the preceding year but 6% less than in 2008.

In absolute figures, Germany remained the largest car producer in the EU, with 5.6 million units in 2010, or 11.8% more than in the previous year. France and Spain performed similarly as both countries manufactured 1.9 million cars and increased their production by 5.7% and 5.6% respectively, compared to 2009. Among the biggest markets, the UK expanded the most in 2010 (+27.1%), with a total of 1.3 million cars. For the first time, the Czech Republic produced over one million cars, which is 9.5% more than in 2009.

Commercial vehicle production

Production of vans and trucks increased by 41% and 50% respectively, but volumes remained well below the average level of past years.

Worldwide production

Globally, car production increased by 22.4% in 2010, after a 9.6% downturn in 2009. In total, 58.3 million cars were manufactured in 2010. The EU was the biggest producer, accounting for 26% of world car production. China, at 13.9 million units produced , saw its output growth four times higher than production growth in Europe, expanding by 33.8% compared to 8.3% growth in Europe in 2010. Japan, the world’s third largest producer, manufactured 21.1% more cars than in 2009, followed by South Korea (+22.4%), Brazil (+9.8%), India (+29.4%) and the US (+24.4%).

Go back