Automobile Industry Pocket Guide 2017-2018
Each year, ACEA compiles the Automobile Industry Pocket Guide in order to provide a clear and complete overview of one of Europe’s most important industries. By now, it has become the point of reference for all those interested in automotive issues and policies – something we are proud of! This 2017-2018 edition contains the latest figures on employment and trade, innovation, the environmental performance of our sector, as well as vehicle production, registration, use and taxation.
More than 12.5 million Europeans work directly or indirectly in the automotive sector now, representing 5.7% of total EU employment. In 2016, EU passenger car production increased by 2.7%, totalling 16.5 million units and thus almost reaching pre-crisis levels. Not only does our industry make a significant contribution to powering economic growth and creating jobs, it also spurs innovation and provides mobility for millions of Europeans.
However, uncertainty is expected to overshadow our sector in the years to come. Much will depend on political developments and the evolution of macro-economic conditions. We therefore urge the EU to continue its efforts to safeguard the competitiveness of our continent, and ensure fair access to the global market place. At the same time, our industry remains committed to addressing tomorrow’s challenges, which is reflected in manufacturers’ ongoing efforts to reduce their environmental footprint.
Even though car production has been on the rise again since 2013, manufacturers have been able to decouple CO2 emissions, energy consumption, water usage and waste generation from production growth. Total CO2 emissions from car production, for example, have remained stable despite a substantial increase in production volume – while CO2 emissions per car produced dropped by 25.8% between 2007 and 2016.
The same level of ambition applies to our objective of making mobility cleaner, smarter and safer in the future. To that end, the automotive sector invests €50.1 billion in innovation each year. This not only makes us the EU’s largest investor in R&D, but also marks our highest annual investment in innovation on record.
Downloads
Copyright notice
Reproduction of the content of this document is not permitted without the prior written consent of ACEA. Whenever reproduction is permitted, ACEA shall be referred to as source of the information. Quoting or referring to this document is permitted provided ACEA is referred to as the source of the information.
