Italian passenger car production tumbled in May and in the first five months of the year, Kallanish notes from local carmakers association Associazione Nazionale Filiera Industria Automobilistica (Anfia) preliminary data.
Car output fell year-on-year by as much as 49.3% in May to 29,119 units, and by 29.7% on-year in January-May to 171,145 units.
By comparison, German five-month output declined by 6% to 1.7 million units, and by 18% to 307,500 cars in May. The UK recorded a fall in May of 11.9% to 69,952 cars and a moderate 3.2% decline to 353,843 units in January-May. Spain’s May car production however hiked by 5.7% to 208,575 cars and by 7.7% to 908,015 cars in January-May, Anfia points out.
“The automotive production sector is in the context of industrial production decreasing again in April 2024 compared to the previous year’s levels. In May, the industrial production index as a whole closed down at 3.3%, and in the first five months of the year compared to the same period in 2023,” Anfia says in a report.
Italy has 23 car production plants. Spain has 17 plants, France 31 and Germany 42.
Anfia is collaborating with the government and Stellantis to define a roadmap for the automotive industry’s relaunch. It aims at boosting Italy’s automotive production capacity beyond the level of 1 million vehicles/year through state support on decarbonisation, research and development, and new production plant investments (see Kallanish passim).
According to the latest data, in January-March 2024, exports of passenger cars and new industrial vehicles were worth €5.3 billion ($5.7 billion) while imports reached €10 billion. The US represents the largest export destination for Italian passenger cars with 17.4% market penetration, followed by Germany with 16.1% market share and France’s 12.3%.
According to a Fim-Cisl union document obtained by Kallanish, Stellantis’ production in Italy during the first half of this year saw a significant decline of 25.2%, resulting in the manufacturing of 305,510 vehicles. In the passenger cars segment, the carmaker’s output experienced a drop of 35.9% to 186,510 cars.
Except for Pomigliano and Atessa’s light commercial vehicle facilities, every Italian plant is seeing a decrease. Maserati automobile production has dropped by 70%, with only 1,850 vehicles manufactured in the first half. The unions estimate a total output of somewhat more than 500,000 vehicles from Stellantis’ Italian operation.
Natalia Capra France
