The manufacturers foresee a decrease of 3.9% of industrial activity in 2017

The Spanish automobile industry has lit several warning notices. The most immediate notice is due to the evolution of production in vehicle factories located in Spain, which will end this year with a decline in activity of 3.9%, according to the forecasts of the Association of Manufacturers (Anfac).

The expected decrease means that Spain leads the declines in the main European competitor countries in the automotive industry. Germany, the leading European producer, will close the year with a decline of 3.2%, followed by the United Kingdom (-2.7%) and France (-2.7%). In contrast, Italy will produce 7.9% more vehicles.

Unfulfilled objectives

“This year we are not going to meet our production goal, we thought that in 2017 we would be in three million vehicles produced in Spain, the reality is that we will not meet it”, acknowledged the vice president of Anfac, Mario Armero, in his speech executives of the sector present at the annual meeting of the IESE business school in Barcelona. The ambitious plan that was marked Anfac will be finally around the 2.8 million vehicles assembled in Spain. In the period from January to September, the production of vehicles in Spain fell by almost 4% and stood at 2.1 million units.

Tame transition

Armero added that “it is not good news, but neither should we undress excessively”. “We see them as a year of impasse,” the vice president of Anfac said, “to move the commitment to next year.” It has to serve as a wake-up call to see what work agenda we have to focus on. the production”. The manager recalled that the Spanish factories will add 10 models in the coming years to the 43 that are already in production on the assembly lines.

Transition

Another of the risks for the industry identified by Anfac is the transition to a new mobility in order to reduce gas emissions. Armero has raised the need for a “profitable, orderly and socially ordered transition in manufacturing and concessions and that allows Spain to have ambition” in the sector. Although he praised the new Movalt plan to help the electric car, he warned that it is necessary to keep pace with this transition and avoid precipitations because efficient gasoline and diesel engines are still needed to reduce emissions since in 2030 they will still be 50% about the sales.

THE NEWSPAPER – Antoni Fuentes – Barcelona – Tuesday, 11/14/2017  (Translation soft)