Spanish auto industry remains weak despite post-summer recovery

Spain’s car industry saw activity rise sharply after a poor performance in the summer, Kallanish notes. However, the sector remains stagnant compared to last year.

According to the country’s automotive association, Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes de Automóviles y Camiones (Anfac), output in September was 205,418 units, compared to just 75,434 vehicles in August. This volume, however, was 2.4% less than the same month in 2023. Of the total, 75.1% were gasoline and diesel-powered automobiles.

Nine-month production amounted to 1.79 million units, a decrease of 1.6% compared to January-September last year.

“Vehicle production merely reflects current market demand,” says Anfac general director José López-Tafall. “Our factories are following the trend of a stagnant market, both in Europe and Spain, conditioned by the delicate situation of the main markets and export destinations such as Germany and France.”

Spanish vehicle exports rose in September. Shipments were at 185,327 units, compared to 77,038 units in the previous month but 3.6% lower than a year ago.

European markets had a 92.7% share in Spanish deliveries in September, 0.3 percentage points less on-month but 3.4pp higher on-year. Nine-month exports slipped 2.8% over the same period in 2023 to 1.59 million vehicles, Anfac data show.

Todor Kirkov Bulgaria