Annual passenger car and SUV registrations in Spain totalled 813,396 units through 2022, marking a 5.4% drop from 2021 and staying below the initial 830,000 forecast for the fiscal year end.
Data from the associations of manufacturers (Anfac), dealers (Faconauto), and distributors (Ganvam) explains the shortfall as largely driven by weaker December sales. Transportation bottlenecks caused thousands of vehicles to be held at ports and in storage facilities, delaying deliveries to customers.
December saw auto sales in Spain reaching 73,927 units, a sharp 14.1% decline from the previous December.
Sales by channel show that private purchases ended 2022 with 366,364 units, down 1.7%, and December deliveries to individuals fell 14.7% to 35,677 units. Fleet purchases by companies reached 348,144 units in 2022, rising 4.1%, yet December figures dropped 20.5% to 31,969 units.
Car rental firms registered 98,888 passenger cars and SUVs in 2022, down 35.1%. In December, rentals rose 54.6% to 6,281 units.
Data evaluation
Faconauto and Ganvam, citing Anfac, note that 2022 close was shaped by heavy logistics frictions that left thousands of vehicles detained in ports and storage yards, restricting dealer deliveries.
The year was described as particularly challenging for the Spanish market due to external pressures such as the war in Ukraine, higher energy and fuel costs, rising inflation, and higher interest rates, all influencing consumer buying decisions.
Félix García, director of communications and marketing at Anfac, described a negative outlook for 2023, noting the need to reach a 900,000 unit threshold despite ongoing supply and logistics hurdles.
He added that overcoming logistical disruptions and Ukraine’s conflict resolution would be key to enabling more new vehicle deliveries. Government measures encouraging fast-charging infrastructure and direct support for electric vehicles are expected to support new registrations, though total market volume in a year under one million units remains a concern for investments and employment in the sector.
Raúl Morales, communications director at Faconauto, warned that the market cannot sustain its negative trajectory into 2023 due to persistent bottlenecks in vehicle supply that impact dealer activities.
Two scenarios were proposed: a modest 5% growth to about 870,000 units if production bottlenecks ease, or a 15% gain to around 960,000 units if bottlenecks improve further. Both scenarios are seen as insufficient compared with pre-pandemic levels and expectations.
Tania Puche, Ganvam communications director, characterized 2022 as a third consecutive negative year, with roughly 400,000 fewer vehicles registered than before the pandemic, highlighting the ongoing impact of limited supply on employment and industry competitiveness. She underscored the importance of continuing decarbonisation efforts even as electrification speeds up, aiming to reduce the aging of the vehicle fleet.
Emissions fell 2.3%
Spain registered an average CO2 emission rate of 119 grams per kilometer for cars sold in 2022, down 2.3% from 2021. The rise of electric models and alternative energies contributed to this decline, now accounting for 40.9% of annual registrations, ahead of diesel at 17.2% and gasoline at 41.9%.
In December, gasoline cars accounted for 39.9% of market share, diesel for 16.4%, and other energy vehicles represented 43.7% of total registrations.
Over the years, small minivans showed the largest drop at 49.5%, while SUVs posted the strongest advance at 35.5%. December saw sport models reclaim momentum with an 8.3% rise and premium models up 8.4%.