In early January, Spain’s 2023 automotive results are poised to be announced, with projections signaling a close alignment with the previous year’s performance. Overall sales are expected to reach around 950,000 vehicles, marking a roughly 17% rise from 2022, based on data from Ideaauto as reported by Europa Press. The industry is sounding cautiously optimistic, reflecting healthier market conditions and a positive tone for the year ahead.
According to data from the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), Spain ranked eighth in global production in 2023. The production momentum in Spain continued to grow, maintaining its position as a leading European producer. While the third-quarter figures provide a snapshot, the full-year data are anticipated to corroborate this trend, especially given improvements in the United States market and a steady rise in output across Spanish manufacturing facilities in the final quarter of 2023.
The OICA rankings illustrate a broader recovery in Spain alongside gains in other vehicle-producing nations. China remains at the top, surpassing 21 million vehicles produced. The United States follows with more than eight million units, a rise of about 8.7% from 2022, and Japan produced around 6.5 million, up 16% and reflecting a 7.3% year-over-year increase. India turned out roughly 4.5 million vehicles, up 7.9%; South Korea produced about 3.2 million, up 17.4%; Mexico reached three million, up 13.8% with additional growth, and Germany produced around 2.9 million, up 12%.
Vehicle sales rankings show Spain holding eighth place, with a 14% year-over-year increase in production versus 2022. However, looking back to 2019, before the pandemic, third-quarter production was 14.2% higher than in the most recent period. Among the top 20 production countries, only a few reported leadership gains since 2019, including China, India, South Korea, Turkey, Indonesia, and Malaysia, each presenting various growth rates that highlight a broad rebound in global auto manufacturing.
Second European producer
The production rebound in Spain followed a easing of the semiconductor and component shortages that restricted output in prior years. Key manufacturers with facilities in Spain managed to ramp up vehicle production through 2023. This stabilization prompted the employers’ association Anfac to forecast total vehicle production in Spain (covering both cars and commercial vehicles) at about 2.5 million units for the year. That figure represents roughly a 13% increase over 2022 and reinforces Spain’s status as the second-largest vehicle producer in Europe after Germany.
Looking at total annual exports, Spain posted positive gains with a 16.5% increase versus 2022, reaching around 2,072,230 units exported. More than 90% of these shipments went to European Union destinations, underscoring Spain’s strong role in intra-EU trade and the broader European automotive supply chain. These trends collectively point to a resilient Spanish auto sector, supported by improvements in production efficiency, supply chain stabilization, and ongoing demand within Europe and beyond.