In the past year, the continued growth of the global economy also benefited the automotive industry. The worldwide production of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles was increased by 3% to 63 million units. While the production of passenger cars rose by a slightly above-average percentage to just under 40 million units, the production of light commercial vehicles was increased by 0.4 million to 23.1 million units.

In Europe, the number of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles rolling off the production lines increased by 0.1% overall to 20.3 million units. Light commercial vehicles compensated for the slight decline in passenger cars with an increase of 0.1 million units. Of the large Western European countries, only Germany exceeded the previous year’s production, by approximately 4%. In contrast, Italy reduced its vehicle production by 12%, Spain by 8%, Great Britain by 3% and France by 1%. In the Czech Republic, passenger car production rose by 30% to 0.6 million units, primarily as a result of the new plant operated jointly by Toyota and PSA. In Romania, vehicle production was increased by two-thirds to 0.2 million units, as a result of the ramp-up of the Dacia Logan.

Worldwide automobile production

The proportion of diesel passenger cars among the newly produced vehicles in Western Europe increased further, reaching 46% for the first time.

In North America, the production of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles remained at the previous year’s level, with a total of 15.7 million units. While the production of light commercial vehicles was reduced by approximately 0.2 million to 9.3 million units for the first time in several years as a result of the unexpected heavy increase in fuel prices, passenger car production was increased by 3% to 6.5 million units. This benefited the Asian manufacturers.

In South America, the production of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles was increased by 13% to 2.8 million units as a result of the positive economic development and the considerable backlogs in some countries. In Brazil alone, production was expanded by 0.2 million to 2.2 million units.

The 7% increase in the production of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in Asia was primarily induced by China, with 16%, and South Korea and India, both with 8%. In Japan, on the other hand, production could only be increased by 1%.

Overall, the production of medium-weight and heavy commercial vehicles developed favorably, rising by 2.4% to over 2.4 million units worldwide in the past year. In Western Europe, the production of these vehicles increased by 7% to 462 thousand units. In Germany – Europe’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles – alone, production was expanded by 9% to 174 thousand units. The manufacturers in Great Britain and Spain recorded even higher rates of increase, with 13% and 11% respectively, though at a significantly lower level. In contrast, production in Sweden – the second largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in Europe – was increased by just 2% to 108 thousand units. The growth of 9% in truck production in Central and Eastern Europe to 134 thousand units was primarily induced by the expansion of production in Russia and Turkey, with an increase of approximately 5 thousand units in both countries.

In the NAFTA region, the production of commercial vehicles was increased by 20% to 587 thousand units in the past year as a result of the existing backlogs. The production of heavy trucks rose by 28%, far above the average level of growth.

In South America, the rise of 13% in commercial vehicle production to 161 thousand units was primarily caused by the increase of production in Brazil by 16 thousand to 146 thousand units. The growth drivers in this region were also heavy trucks, with output increasing by 15% to 107 thousand units.

With a decrease of 8% to 1,082 thousand units, the production of commercial vehicles in Asia declined significantly in 2005, the year under report. This was caused by the decline of 19% in truck production in China to 492 thousand units and the decline of 12% in South Korea to 37 thousand units. On the other hand, with an increase of 5% to 221 thousand units and an increase of 3% to 328 thousand units respectively, commercial vehicle production rose significantly in India and Japan.