Production of cars in Belgium has fallen by two-thirds since 2005
- Unlike Czech Republic and Slovakia, which production rose sharply between 2005 and 2023, thanks to relocations from France and Germany and the arrival of Japanese (Toyota) and Korean (Hyundai, Kia) carmakers, Belgian automotive production has been declining steadily since 2005. It has fallen by two-thirds since 2005! The reasons for this steady decline - which, however, seems to have come to a halt since 2019 - lie in the high cost of Belgian labor in automotive plants.
- A number of major carmakers have left the country since 1998, including Renault, Opel and Ford, which had big capacities there. Even Volkswagen has left Belgium, leaving only its luxury subsidiary Audi to operate (but for how long?).
- Only Volvo remains in Belgium, and there is no question for this carmaker - which came under the control of the Chinese Geely in 2010 – to leav the country, according to our information. On the contrary, the recent Volvo EX30 now produced in China will be produced in Belgium from next year.
- The departure of Renault, Opel, Ford and Volkswagen has nevertheless left its mark on the Belgian production over the last twenty-five years, as the country's production volume, which stood at 900,000 units in 2005, gradually fell to 500,000 in 2010, then to 400,000 in 2016 and 250,000 in 2019. By 2023, Belgian production has recovered to 270,000 units, but this figure is still well below those recorded before 2018. And there are no factors to predict a spectacular upturn in Belgian production over the next few years.