Facts about the automobile industry

The automobile industry: the engine of Europe.
Driving safe and sustainable mobility
- Europe’s cars, vans, trucks and buses are the cleanest, safest and quietest in the world.
- Europe leads the way in clean production, with decreasing quantities of water and energy used to manufacture a vehicle, and much less CO2 and waste produced in the process.
Moving people
- Cars and buses provide freedom and mobility for all, providing us with direct access to education, health and employment.
Delivering the goods
- Trucks and vans deliver the goods and services we take for granted in our daily lives, carrying 76.7% of freight transported over land and delivering 14.7 billion tonnes of goods per year.
Serving the community
- Many of our essential public services – such as postal, waste and emergency services – are delivered by cars, trucks and vans.
Powering economic growth
- The turnover generated by the automotive sector represents 7% of the EU’s total GDP.
- The automobile industry has ripple effects throughout the economy, supporting a vast supply chain and generating an array of business services.
Creating skilled jobs
- 14.6 million Europeans work in the auto industry (directly and indirectly), accounting for 6.7% of all EU jobs.
- 11.5% of EU manufacturing jobs – some 3.7 million – are in the automotive sector.
Manufacturing in Europe
- Vehicle manufacturing is a strategic industry in the EU, where 18.5 million cars, vans, trucks and buses are manufactured per year.
- Automobile manufacturers operate some 226 vehicle assembly and production plants in the European Union.
Exporting worldwide
- The European auto industry is a global player, delivering quality ‘Made in Europe’ products around the world, and generating a €74 billion trade surplus for the EU.
Generating government revenue
- Motor vehicles account for €440.4 billion in taxes in major European markets.
Spurring innovation
- The automotive sector is the EU’s number one investor in R&D, responsible for 29% of total spending.
- EU automotive investment in R&D has increased by 6.1% to reach €60.9 billion annually.
- Europe leads the world in patents for self-driving vehicles, accounting for 33.3% of all applications.
Content type
Fact
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All vehicles