Friday, 12 September 2025, 15:00
The electrification of mobility is responsible for something likening an earthquake in the automotive industry, the aftershocks of which are being felt in vehicle sales and registrations. However, the epicentre is to be found in the factory production lines and in the entire sector, which is one of the driving forces of the Spanish economy. The pages of the calendar keep turning, 2035 and the change in emissions regulations in Europe is approaching and this threatens the Spanish automotive industry, which is losing momentum as manufacturers demand new electrified models to roll off the assembly lines here.
Spain, whose vehicle production is mostly vehicles with traditional combustion engines, has seen a 10.8% drop in exports of cars made in Spain. The Spanish car manufacturers’ association Anfac attributes this decline to lower car production (8.4% less than in the first half of 2024) due to the adaptation of production lines to accommodate new electric models and also due to the weakness of the European market .
In Spain, the only companies manufacturing electric cars are Stellantis, with plants in Vigo, Zaragoza and Madrid, and Mercedes-Benz, which produces electric vans in Vitoria. In the coming months, Volkswagen will invest ten billion euros to make Spain the centre of its production of electric vehicles for its plants in Navarra and Barcelona, also to build its battery factory in Sagunto (Valencia). This is a boost for the industry that hopes to maintain the market share of ‘made in Spain’ products worldwide. “The sector is undergoing a transformation that we must strengthen if we want to maintain our relevance and the income contribution that the sector makes to the economy”, says José López-Tafall, director-general of Anfac.
According to Anfac data, the European market continues to be the main destination for vehicle exports, with 93.6% of total shipments from Spain. In these first six months of 2025, by economic value, France has established itself as the main recipient country for vehicles manufactured in Spain, with a share of 18.8% and 3.80 billion euros. After France is Germany, with a 17.9% share and 3.62 billion euros. In third place is the United Kingdom with a share of 10.9% and 2.215 billion euros. Each of these three large markets have accumulated double-digit declines in transaction value, but the reduction in cumulative share ranges from 1.7% for France to 1% for the UK.
Outside the European Union, Turkey’s increase is notable, ranking fifth with 1.94 billion euros (12.4% more than in 2024), resulting in a 2% increase in the cumulative share compared to the previous year.
In Spain, the vehicles on our roads have also changed their place of manufacture. Spanish drivers have traditionally opted for models manufactured in Germany and France, as well as those from Japan, South Korea and the United States. However, in recent years, the entry of new brands into the Spanish market and the installation of factories in production centres such as China and Turkey have changed the traditional origin of vehicles imported into Spain.
Positive balance
In addition to the reduction in vehicle exports to a value of 20.246 billion euros, 10.6% less than in the first half of 2024, there was an 8.8% increase in imports to 14.53 billion euros. Even so, foreign trade has performed better than the balance in the Spanish economy as a whole, which has fallen by 67.5% in these first six months.
Thus, vehicle trade activity reached a positive balance of 5.68 billion euros in the first half of 2025. However, this contribution to the trade balance is 38.6% less than for the same half-year of 2024, according to Anfac’s data. Vehicles thus move into second place on the list of products making the greatest positive contribution to Spain’s trade balance, surpassed only by the food sector, specifically the category known as ‘fruits, vegetables and greens’ (+9.61 billions).
“We must strengthen our industrial future and ensure that the automotive industry remains a fundamental pillar of Spain. To achieve this, we need the involvement of all stakeholders, as Anfac proposes in the Spain Auto Plan 2030-2035, with proposals both to promote the domestic market and to strengthen our industry and continue attracting investment, projects and new models”, argues Tafall.