Current European car production still far from 2010-2019 figures
- Current European car production (30 countries = EU + UK + Switzerland + Norway) is still far from the 2010-2019 figures. In 2024, it will have barely exceeded 14.0 million passenger cars + light commercial vehicles, which is certainly a higher volume than in 2020 (13.4 million units), 2021 (13.0 million units) or 2022 (13.1 million units) but lower than in 2023 (14.4 million units) and above all much lower than during the years 2010-2019 which recorded annual production volumes of between 15.5 and 18.5 million units.
- Even 2009 was better, with 14.8 million units , which was a very poor figure for the time, since 19 million units had been exceeded (just) in 2007, after having been around 18 million units per year in previous years (1998-2006). Even adding two offshoring countries outside Europe, Turkey and Morocco, the volume of passenger car + light commercial vehicle production for the years 2020-2024 remains lower than those of the years 2010-2019 and those of 1998-2008.
- The reason for this situation is undoubtedly due to the saturation of European markets (very high car ownership rate), limiting growth, changing behaviors (less interest in owning a vehicle among young urban dwellers), the development of alternatives (shared mobility, public transport), the lifespan of vehicles (cars are more durable which slows down the renewal of the fleet), but also the sharp increase in the price of cars since the Covid crisis in 2020.
- There is therefore little hope that car production in Europe will return to its 2010-2019 levels , even if the establishment of Chinese car factories could replace a significant part of China's car imports and represent an estimated volume of 2.5% of European production in 2030.