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Economic and Market Report
EU Automotive Industry Full‐year 2019
May 2020
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 1
CONTENTS
EU economic outlook ..................................................................................................................... 2
Passenger cars ................................................................................................................................ 4
Registrations .............................................................................................................................. 4
World ...................................................................................................................................... 4
The European Union ............................................................................................................... 6
Production .................................................................................................................................. 8
World ...................................................................................................................................... 8
The European Union .............................................................................................................. 11
Trade ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Imports .................................................................................................................................. 13
Exports .................................................................................................................................. 14
Commercial vehicles...................................................................................................................... 15
Registrations ............................................................................................................................. 15
The European Union .............................................................................................................. 15
Production ................................................................................................................................ 20
World .................................................................................................................................... 20
Trade .........................................................................................................................................22
Imports .................................................................................................................................. 23
Exports ................................................................................................................................. 24
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 2
EU ECONOMIC OUTLOOK In 2019, overall economic activity in the European Union continued its path of steady and moderate
growth. The economy expanded by 1.5% last year – the seventh consecutive year of growth – albeit
at a more moderate pace. However, the outlook for the remainder of 2020, as well as for 2021, has
changed dramatically, as the COVID‐19 virus continued to spread and governments were forced to
take extreme preventive measures, which have seen large tracts of the economy shut down.
Global demand, supply chains, labour markets, industrial production and international trade have
all been heavily impacted. According to the European Commission’s latest forecast, EU GDP is set
to contract by 7.4% in 2020 before growing by 6.1% in 2021, assuming that the pandemic remains
under control and that it’s possible to progressively ease the lockdown measures. In addition, the
extraordinary monetary and fiscal measures implemented at national and EU levels should help the
economy withstand the immediate effects of the crisis.
Sluggish global demand, combined with rising unemployment and limited prospects for wage
increases, are likely to bring downward pressure on inflation. Furthermore, the pandemic has
severely impacted large parts of the energy sector; with over three billion people worldwide asked
to remain at home, demand for oil has collapsed and prices have almost halved. As a result, the
European Commission significantly revised its annual estimate for inflation in the EU downwards.
Overall inflation (HICP1) is forecast to fall from 1.4% in 2019 to 0.2% in 2020 and then to increase to
1.1% in 2021 as oil prices bounce back.
After reaching its lowest level in more than a decade in 2019 (6.7%), the EU unemployment rate is
set to increase this year, as the COVID‐19 pandemic and the subsequent containment measures
heavily affect Europe’s labour market. However, EU and national policy measures have been
implemented to limit job losses during the lockdown period, such as short‐time work schemes,
wage subsidies for employees and measures to boost liquidity for businesses. Assuming these
measures prove effective, the fall in employment this year is likely to be contained: unemployment
in the EU is expected to increase to 9% in 2020 and then decrease to 7.9% in 2021.
Table 1: EU2 forecast
2019 2020 2021
GDP growth (%) 1.5 ‐7.4 6.1
Inflation (%) 1.4 0.6 1.3
Unemployment rate (%) 6.7 9.0 7.9
SOURCE: EUROPEAN COMMISSION EUROPEAN ECONOMIC FORECAST, SPRING 2020
1 Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices 2 EU27 (excluding the United Kingdom)
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 3
Figure 1: EU GDP growth in 2019 and 2020 | by country
SOURCE: EUROPEAN COMMISSION EUROPEAN ECONOMIC FORECAST, SPRING 2020
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 4
PASSENGER CARS
REGISTRATIONS
WORLD
The European passenger car market recorded modest growth during 2019 (+0.4%), recovering from
a negative performance in the first half of the year. New car sales remained above 18 million units,
with a global market share of 24.2%. Demand was supported by strong performances in Ukraine
(+17.6%), Kazakhstan and Belarus. The EU (+1.2%) also contributed to the upturn in the region,
thanks to solid performances in major Central European markets. In Russia, however, new car sales
dropped (‐2.7%), while in Turkey an increase in loan interest rates caused a sharp decline (‐20.4%)
in domestic demand.
New car demand in the United States contracted by 3.2% in 2019 over the previous year.
Nevertheless, the country increased its share of the global passenger car market from 17.6% to 18%
over the period. As the US accounts for 84% of the region’s passenger car sales volume, North
America overall mirrored this negative trend, posting a 3.8% year‐on‐year decline.
In South America, 2019 results were 5.2% lower, as passenger car sales losses in Argentina – where
car demand almost halved during the year – were not offset by gains in Brazil (+8.3%).
In 2019, Japanese passenger car sales fell 1.8% compared to 2018, as the impact of the consumption
tax increase in October 2019 was not offset by the various supporting schemes aimed at sustaining
demand. Sales also declined in South Korea, by 2.0%, to slightly less than 1.5 million units.
Passenger car sales in China decreased by 8.9% during the year to 21.2 million units, continuing a
downward trend that started in 2018 following almost three decades of uninterrupted growth.
Rising trade tensions with the US and a general economic slowdown undermined consumer
confidence. As a result, China's share of global car sales decreased from 29.4% in 2018 to 28.2%,
although the country maintained its position as the largest automobile market worldwide.
Last year, the Indian passenger car market collapsed and posted a double‐digit drop of 11.3%. This
was mainly due to rising ownership costs and the crisis in financial sector that impacted consumer
credit.
In 2019 overall, nearly 75 million passenger cars were sold worldwide, 4.9% fewer than the previous
year.
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 5
Table 2: World new passenger car registrations
20193 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
EUROPE 18,140,909 18,061,991 +0.4 24.2
European Union4 15,340,188 15,159,336 +1.2 20.5
EFTA 465,564 465,612 ‐0.01 0.6
Russia 1,638,247 1,683,186 ‐2.7 2.2
Turkey 387,256 486,321 ‐20.4 0.5
Ukraine 90,185 76,665 +17.6 0.1
Others: Europe5 219,469 190,871 +15.0 0.3
NORTH AMERICA6 16,036,375 16,667,197 ‐3.8 21.4
of which the United States 13,464,176 13,909,909 ‐3.2 18.0
SOUTH AMERICA 3,559,829 3,754,132 ‐5.2 4.8
of which Brazil 2,262,017 2,089,605 +8.3 3.0
ASIA 33,958,366 36,644,659 ‐7.3 45.3
China 21,163,413 23,219,840 ‐8.9 28.2
Japan 4,295,672 4,375,813 ‐1.8 5.7
India 3,073,843 3,464,234 ‐11.3 4.1
South Korea 1,488,875 1,519,321 ‐2.0 2.0
Others: Asia7 3,936,563 4,065,451 ‐3.2 5.3
MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA 3,240,252 3,666,938 ‐11.6 4.3
WORLD 74,935,731 78,794,917 ‐4.9 100.0
SOURCE: IHS MARKIT, ACEA
3 Provisional figures 4 Data for Malta not available; 2019 data for the European Union still include the United Kingdom 5 Includes Belarus, Bosnia‐Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Serbia and Uzbekistan 6 Based on production type 7 Includes Hong Kong, Taiwan and all the other South Asian countries, excluding India
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 6
THE EUROPEAN UNION
In 2019, new car registrations as a whole increased by 1.2% in the European Union – the sixth
consecutive year of growth – reaching more than 15.3 million units. This performance was boosted
by December figures of 1,215,076 units, a gain of 21.7%, which marked the highest‐ever total for this
month to date. This growth mainly resulted from the low base created in December 2018 by the
disruptive effect on the market of the introduction of the WLTP test.
Demand was strong in Central European markets, with new car registrations growing by 6.2%.
Western European countries posted a mild uplift during 2019 (+0.7%), with Germany (+5.0%)
recording the largest increase among the five major EU markets, followed by France (+1.9%) and
Italy (+0.3%). However, both Spain (‐4.8%) and the United Kingdom (‐2.4%) saw demand fall.
The outlook for 2020 appears increasingly bleak, due to the COVID‐19 outbreak and the measures
implemented to contain it, which will inevitably have a huge impact on EU car sales in the coming
months.
Table 3: Top 5 – New passenger car registrations in the EU
2019 2018 % change 19/18
Germany 3,607,258 3,435,778 +5.0
United Kingdom 2,311,140 2,367,147 ‐2.4
France 2,214,279 2,173,481 +1.9
Italy 1,916,320 1,910,701 +0.3
Spain 1,258,260 1,321,437 ‐4.8
EUROPEAN UNION 15,340,188 15,159,336 +1.2
SOURCE: ACEA
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 7
Figure 2: New passenger car registrations in the EU | 12‐month trend
SOURCE: ACEA
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 8
PRODUCTION
WORLD
Although European sales were slightly in positive territory in 2019, passenger car production
decreased by 4.6% to 18.5 million units, attributable to adverse trade flows and inventory
reductions. Outside the EU, in Ukraine (12.5%) the situation improved thanks to strong demand in
the final months of the year. However, Turkey and Russia performed worse, down 4.1% and 0.9%
respectively.
Car production in the United States in 2019 declined by 7.2% compared to the previous year, as
manufacturers wound down for the last months of the year amid weaker demand. With the US
accounting for more than 60% of the region's output, North American car production dropped as a
result, by 6.2% to 12.2 million units.
South American output was also down in 2019, by 2.8%, owing to weaker‐than‐expected
production in Brazil. Brazil built 2.4 million cars last year, a marginal increase of 1.6%; but production
in all other countries declined, with Argentina’s volumes almost halved compared to 2018.
Production in China contracted by 9.0%, with 20.7 million cars manufactured in 2019. The drop was
mainly the result of stagnating demand and a lack of efficient stimulus policies. Nevertheless, China
managed to maintain its position as the world’s largest car producer, with a global market share of
28%.
Full‐year Japanese car production for 2019 remained virtually unchanged at 8.2 million units, with
sluggish domestic sales following the increase to the consumption tax. In South Korea, low export
volumes saw in a decline in overall car output, at 1.7% lower than 2018.
Manufacturing activity in Thailand and Indonesia slowed sharply during the second half of the year,
resulting in 2019 full‐year outputs down by 9.7% and 1.1% respectively. India also saw a sharp
decline in its passenger car production, with volumes off by 10.4% from 2018, at 3.6 million units.
In Iran, pressure from US economic sanctions contributed to a 42.7% drop in car production last
year.
Overall in 2019, global car production fell by 6.3% to 74.1 million passenger cars built.
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 9
Table 4: World passenger car production
20198 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
EUROPE 18,548,160 19,440,981 ‐4.6 25.0
European Union9 15,769,041 16,644,609 ‐5.3 21.3
Russia 1,513,640 1,527,928 ‐0.9 2.0
Turkey 944,087 983,952 ‐4.1 1.3
Ukraine 6,367 5,659 12.5 0.0
Others: Europe10 315,025 278,833 13.0 0.4
NORTH AMERICA 12,165,682 12,968,219 ‐6.2 16.4
of which the United States 7,452,191 8,028,375 ‐7.2 10.1
SOUTH AMERICA 2,676,738 2,754,002 ‐2.8 3.6
of which Brazil 2,449,242 2,411,076 +1.6 3.3
ASIA 39,179,376 41,897,507 ‐6.5 52.9
China 20,675,662 22,726,556 ‐9.0 27.9
Japan 8,187,935 8,214,183 ‐0.3 11.0
India 3,571,298 3,987,912 ‐10.4 4.8
South Korea 3,629,252 3,692,685 ‐1.7 4.9
Indonesia 1,028,782 1,040,322 ‐1.1 1.4
Thailand 955,105 1,057,504 ‐9.7 1.3
Others: Asia11 1,131,342 1,178,345 ‐4.0 1.5
MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA 1,537,412 2,065,538 ‐25.6 2.1
of which Iran 695,367 1,213,609 ‐42.7 0.9
WORLD 74,107,368 79,126,247 ‐6.3 100.0
SOURCE: IHS MARKIT, OICA
8 Provisional figures 9 2019 data for the European Union still include the United Kingdom 10 Includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Serbia and Uzbekistan 11 Includes Taiwan, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 10
Figure 3: Top 10 – World passenger car production
SOURCE: IHS MARKIT, OICA
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 11
THE EUROPEAN UNION
EU passenger car production contracted during 2019, owing to softening economic conditions and
rising global trade tensions. Full‐year output for 2019 reached 15.8 million units, or 5.3% less than
the previous year. Despite this, the European Union remains the world’s second‐largest producer of
passenger cars, increasing its global market share from 20.5% in 2018 to 21.3% in 2019.
Western European activity slowed considerably, with four out of five of the largest car‐producing
countries recording strong declines in 2019: Italy (‐19.5), the United Kingdom (‐14.2%), Germany (‐
9.0%) and France (‐5.5%). Only Spain managed to reach positive territory, albeit marginally, by
+0.3%.
The Central European markets performed slightly better, with Hungary (+7.6%), Romania (+2.9%)
and Slovakia (+0.6%) all recording higher production volumes than in 2018. Polish production
recovered in the second half of the year (from ‐12.7% in the first semester to ‐3.7%), although it
remained in negative territory for the full year.
Table 5: Top 10 – Passenger car producers in the EU
201912 2018 % change 19/18
Germany 4,661,328 5,120,409 ‐9.0
Spain 2,175,909 2,168,877 +0.3
France 1,675,198 1,772,641 ‐5.5
Czech Republic 1,427,563 1,437,396 ‐0.7
United Kingdom 1,303,135 1,519,440 ‐14.2
Slovakia 1,100,000 1,093,215 +0.6
Italy 542,007 673,196 ‐19.5
Hungary 498,158 463,000 +7.6
Romania 490,412 476,769 +2.9
Poland 434,700 451,600 ‐3.7
EUROPEAN UNION 15,769,041 16,644,609 ‐5.3
SOURCE: IHS MARKIT
12 Provisional figures
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 12
TRADE
The European Union exported 5 million passenger cars with a value of €124 billion in 2019, down
2.3% on the previous year. Over the same period, the value of car imports substantially increased
(+15.6%) to a total of €53 billion.
This strong growth in imports resulted in a 12.5% drop in the trade balance generated by passenger
car trade during 2019. Nevertheless, the car industry contributed €71 billion to the EU’s trade
surplus.
Table 6: EU passenger car trade
Trade in value (in million €) 2019 2018 % change 19/18
Imports 53,222 46,026 +15.6
Exports 124,614 127,568 ‐2.3
Trade balance 71,392 81,541 ‐12.5
Trade in volume (in units) 2019 2018 % change 19/18
Imports 3,617,517 3,651,012 ‐0.9
Exports 5,000,566 5,369,240 ‐6.9
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
Figure 4: EU passenger car exports, imports, trade balance | 2005‐2019 (in billion €)
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 13
IMPORTS
EU imports of passenger cars increased strongly both in volume and value terms last year. The key
contributors to this growth were the United States (+70.1% value and +33.8% volume), Japan
(+18.1% value and +11.9% volume) and South Africa (+14.4% value and +14.0% volume). Japan also
accounted for the highest value of passenger cars imported to the European Union, together with
the US making up almost half of the total value of EU imports in 2019.
In contrast, import volumes from Turkey and South Korea declined slightly last year.
Table 7: Main countries of origin of EU passenger car imports
Trade in value (in million €) 2019 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
Japan 11,695 9,902 +18.1 22.0
United States 9,424 5,539 +70.1 17.7
Turkey 8,916 8,802 +1.3 16.8
South Korea 7,866 7,180 +9.6 14.8
Mexico 4,963 5,248 ‐5.4 9.3
South Africa 4,676 4,089 +14.4 8.8
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
Table 8: Main countries of origin of EU passenger car imports
Trade in volume (in units) 2019 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
Turkey 764,703 784,937 ‐2.6 21.1
Japan 760,717 679,524 +11.9 21.0
South Korea 537,341 540,732 ‐0.6 14.9
United States 358,044 267,515 +33.8 9.9
Morocco 292,148 283,622 +3.0 8.1
South Africa 218,219 191,369 +14.0 6.0
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 14
EXPORTS
In 2019, overall exports of EU‐built passengers cars destined for China, Japan and South Korea
decreased in both volume and value terms, although the pace of decrease slowed during the second
half of the year. Over the same period, the value of EU exports to the United States increased
slightly (+1.0%), confirming the US as the EU’s most valuable export market for cars.
In terms of volumes, the number of cars shipped from the European Union fell significantly for all
six major export destinations. This saw the total number of vehicles exported by the EU fall by 6.9%.
Table 9: Main destinations for EU passenger car exports
Trade in value (in million €) 2019 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
United States 37,631 37,242 +1.0 30.2
China 21,734 22,311 ‐2.6 17.4
Japan 8,247 8,408 ‐1.9 6.6
Switzerland 7,494 7,044 +6.4 6.0
South Korea 6,131 6,965 ‐12.0 4.9
Canada 3,697 4,018 ‐8.0 3.0
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
Table 10: Main destinations for EU passenger car exports
Trade in volume (in units) 2019 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
United States 1,040,770 1,154,784 ‐9.9 20.8
China 459,623 543,643 ‐15.5 9.2
Japan 263,057 285,434 ‐7.8 5.3
Switzerland 258,195 261,982 ‐1.4 5.2
Turkey 224,240 290,627 ‐22.8 4.5
South Korea 168,660 191,863 ‐12.1 3.4
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 15
COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
REGISTRATIONS
THE EUROPEAN UNION13
In 2019, new commercial vehicle (CV) registrations in the EU increased by 2.5% to 2,546,830 units,
the seventh consecutive year of growth. Demand was largely driven by the van segment, which
made up 83% of CV registrations in the EU.
During the year, each of the five key markets in the region made positive contributions to some
extent. Germany delivered the highest percentage gain (+6.1%), followed by France (+4.3%), the
UK (+3.0%) and Italy (+1.9%). Spain recorded the poorest performance, with registrations in the
country increasing by only 0.3%.
Table 11: New commercial vehicle and bus registrations in the EU | by segment
2019 2018 % change 19/18
Vans14 2,115,650 2,058,574 +2.8%
Trucks15 388,342 384,850 +0.9%
Buses16 42,838 42,068 +1.8%
TOTAL 2,546,830 2,485,492 +2.5%
SOURCE: ACEA
13 Data for Malta not available; 2019 data for the European Union still include the United Kingdom 14 Light commercial vehicles up to 3.5t (including buses) 15 Commercial vehicles over 3.5t 16 Buses and coaches over 3.5t
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 16
Figure 5: Top 5 – New commercial vehicle and bus registrations in the EU
SOURCE: ACEA
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 17
Vans
New light commercial vehicle registrations in the EU reached 2.1 million units in 2019, a 2.8% year‐
on‐year increase. The introduction of the new WLTP emissions test for vans in September 2019
accelerated registrations during the summer months, with a subsequent slowdown from
September to November. However, in December this ceased to be a factor, as demand for vans
increased again.
The five big EU markets all posted gains during 2019, with Germany (+6.9%) and France (+4.5%)
making a significant contribution to the region’s growth during the year.
Figure 6: Top 5 – New van registrations in the EU
SOURCE: ACEA
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 18
Trucks
The truck segment, covering medium and heavy commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, increased
slightly by 0.9% to 388,342 units in 2019. This growth was generated in the first half of the year, as
registrations fell for six consecutive months from July. The introduction of obligatory tachographs
in heavy trucks from 15 June 2019 resulted in a decline of heavy‐truck registrations, which represent
the bulk of total truck demand.
The United Kingdom (+9.5%), Germany (+4.2%), France (+1.5%) and Spain (+1.1%) all improved
over last year. Italy (‐7.6%) was the only key EU market where demand for trucks fell.
Figure 7: Top 5 – New truck registrations in the EU
SOURCE: ACEA
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 19
Buses
During 2019, new bus and coach registrations increased by +1.8% in the EU, in spite of the negative
performance of the segment during the second half of the year.
The Central European countries provided a strong boost (+5.1%) to the full‐year total. Among the
major Western European markets, only France (+8.8%) made a positive contribution.
Figure 8: Top 5 – New bus registrations in the EU
SOURCE: ACEA
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 20
PRODUCTION
WORLD
Commercial vehicle output on the European continent17 posted a 3.0% decline in 2019, with 3.5
million units built in total. Declining domestic demand in both Russia and Turkey saw local
production fall. Manufacturing activity also slowed in the EU as a result of a weaker economic
environment. Looking at the five major EU markets, commercial vehicle production rose only in
Spain; production shrank in Germany, France, Italy and the UK last year.
North America’s commercial vehicle output expanded by 3.6% in 2019, driven by high production
volumes of pickup trucks. In total, some 4.7 million units were manufactured.
The protracted trade dispute between China and the United States, combined with the economic
slowdown, undermined consumer confidence and affected vehicle output in China. As a result,
Chinese production18 declined by 1.7% in 2019, with 5.3 million units built.
Commercial vehicle production in Japan and South Korea remained more or less stable at 1.5 million
units in 2019, or 0.7% lower than 2018.
Full‐year 2019 commercial vehicle production in South America fell sharply (‐10.1%). The
deteriorating economic situation in Argentina negatively affected Brazilian commercial vehicle
production, which is focused on meeting domestic demand and exports throughout Latin America,
particularly Argentina.
Following strong 2018 results, production in South Asia saw a sharp slowdown in 2019 (‐15.4%) due
to weakening demand in Thailand and Indonesia.
Finally, commercial vehicle output in the Middle East and Africa dropped by 6.4% in 2019, as Iranian
production declined following the escalation of the US‐Iran conflict.
17 Includes Turkey and CIS countries 18 Includes Hong Kong and Taiwan
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 21
Figure 9: World commercial vehicle production19 | by region
SOURCE: IHS MARKIT
19 2019 provisional data
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 22
TRADE
Though 2019, the total value of commercial vehicle and bus exports increased significantly (+9.5%),
creating a trade surplus of more than €2.5 billion for the European Union.
The truck and bus segments were largely responsible for sustaining this growth, with both imports
(+10.6%) and exports (+21.7%) posting double‐digit gains compared to 2018. Together, these two
vehicle segments alone generated a €4.8 billion trade surplus in 2019.
However, exports of light commercial vehicles declined slightly last year, with van imports
outstripping exports by €2.3 billion.
Table 12: EU commercial vehicle and bus trade | by segment
Trade in value (in million €) LCV20 CV & BC21 TOTAL
2019
Imports 6,326 2,489 8,815
Exports 3,990 7,333 11,323
Trade balance ‐2,336 4,845 2,507
2018
Imports 6,006 2,045 8,051
Exports 4,149 6,630 10,779
Trade balance ‐1,857 4,585 2,729
% change 19/18
Imports +5.3 +10.6 +9.5
Exports ‐3.9 +21.7 +5.0
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
20 LCV = Light commercial vehicles up to 5t 21 Commercial vehicles (CV) over 5t including buses and coaches (BC)
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 23
IMPORTS
Turkey maintained its position as the leading country of origin for EU commercial vehicle imports in
2019, despite the value of imports remaining virtually unchanged since the year before.
Throughout 2019, commercial vehicle imports from most of the EU’s main trading partners
increased substantially in value terms, most notably those from South Africa (+85.2%), China
(+57.1%), Switzerland (+34.5%) and Norway (+28.5%).
However, the value of commercial vehicles exported to the EU from the United States and India
sharply declined (down by 20.9% and 61.9% respectively) during the same period.
Table 13: Top 10 – Countries of origin of EU commercial vehicle and bus imports
Trade in value (in million €) 2019 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
Turkey 5,547 5,528 +0.3 62.9
South Africa 1,471 794 +85.2 16.7
Thailand 583 532 +9.7 6.6
Morocco 233 234 ‐0.2 2.6
China 169 108 +57.1 1.9
Switzerland 167 124 +34.5 1.9
Macedonia 163 177 ‐7.7 1.9
Norway 126 98 +28.5 1.4
United States 104 132 ‐20.9 1.2
India 65 170 ‐61.9 0.7
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
ACEA Economic and Market Report – Full‐year 2019 24
EXPORTS
The overall value of EU commercial vehicle exports to Norway (+45.2%), China (+26.5%) and Saudi
Arabia (+133.4%) increased significantly in 2019. Norway is now the main export destination for EU‐
made commercial vehicles and buses, and – together with Switzerland and China – accounted for
more than 30% of the total value of EU exports in the sector in 2019.
At the same time, the value of exports to Australia (‐32.0%), Turkey (‐30.8%) and the United States
(‐28.0%) contracted strongly last year.
Table 14: Top 10 – Destinations for EU commercial vehicle and bus exports
Trade in value (in million €) 2019 2018 % change 19/18 % share 2019
Norway 1,577 1,086 +45.2 13.9
Switzerland 1,100 1,051 +4.7 9.7
China 747 591 +26.5 6.6
Australia 666 980 ‐32.0 5.9
Israel 500 450 +11.1 4.4
United States 472 656 ‐28.0 4.2
Russia 467 426 +9.7 4.1
Saudi Arabia 432 185 +133.4 3.8
Turkey 377 545 ‐30.8 3.3
Algeria 353 333 +5.8 3.1
SOURCE: EUROSTAT
ABOUT THE EU AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY
13.8 million Europeans work in the auto industry (directly and indirectly), accounting for 6.1% of all EU jobs.
11.4% of EU manufacturing jobs – some 3.5 million – are in the automotive sector.
Motor vehicles account for €440.4 billion in taxes in key European markets.
The automobile industry generates a trade surplus of €84.4 billion for the EU.
The turnover generated by the auto industry represents over 7% of EU GDP.
Investing €57.4 billion in R&D annually, the automotive sector is Europe's largest private contributor to innovation, accounting for 28% of total EU spending.
ACEA MEMBERS
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