Ford Almussafes, the Spanish car plant, faced the steepest reduction in production during 2023, trimming output by 10.57 percent and translating to about 26,000 fewer vehicles. Data from the Valencia facility contrasts with the national trend, where other Spanish plants rose, on average, by 10.95 percent after the microchip shortage eased. The plant saw two of its four models exit the lineup last year, with the Transit heading toward discontinuation, while preparations continued for a future with a leaner model mix. This shift created uncertainty among workers as workload remained low entering the early months of 2024.
Spain overall finished 2023 stronger, ranking eighth among global auto producers. Total output reached 2,462,604 units, up 10.95 percent, according to a report by the independent media outlet La Tribuna de la Automoción. Eight Spanish plants increased production last year, while three reduced it: Ford Almussafes (-10.57%), Volkswagen Navarra (-5.2%), and Stellantis Zaragoza (-1.81%).
microchip crisis
Almussafes produced around 220,000 vehicles in 2023, marking the second-worst year in the plant’s history over the last thirty years, with 2021 being the low point during the chip shortage. The 2023 total is 10.57 percent below 2022, when Ford Almussafes manufactured 245,560 units. Not only that, but output remains far from pre-pandemic levels, when Valencia’s plant produced 345,560 units in 2019, and many other Spanish auto facilities were operating at higher volumes. The report notes gains elsewhere: Vigo rose 35.7 percent to 531,732 units, Renault Palencia up 30 percent to 130,000 units, and Stellantis Madrid up 29 percent to 105,830 units.
I’m waiting for the electric ones
With electric vehicle arrivals still limited, the only confirmed model at Almussafes today is the Kuga, a vehicle that accounts for roughly two out of every three units produced, though its sales pace has softened in recent times. Iconic models from past eras, such as the Fiesta and Focus, have faded from the lineup. Last April, the S-Max and Galaxy were retired, and in the coming months the Transit is slated for discontinuation. In essence, a minibus accounted for about 30 percent of Almussafes’ 2023 production, totaling 65,299 out of 219,594 units.
Kuga addiction
On December 22, the Valencia plant ended production of the American Transit Connect for the European market, marking the start of a broader transition. Since 2013, the Almussafes plant has assembled more than 950,000 Transit units. Moving into spring, the focus shifted to the Kuga as the sole model, a level of single-model production not seen in more than four decades. To find a period when the factory produced only one model, one would need to go back to 1980, when the Fiesta led the way, followed by the Escort a year later and the Orion three years after that.