The country steps on the accelerator compared to its two close competitors: Germany (sixth place and with 4.11 million vehicles) and South Korea (fifth and with 4.24 million)

The automotive industry in the world managed to overcome the pandemic crisis in 2023 and the manufacturing of light and commercial vehicles stood at 93 million 546,599 units, the highest since 2019, but still far from 2017, when 97 million were produced. units, reported the International Organization of Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA).

Without movement of seats within the Top Ten in manufacturing and for the fourth consecutive year, Mexico once again ranks as the seventh vehicle producer with 4 million 2,047 units; However, it is already stepping on the accelerator to get closer to its two close competitors: Germany (sixth place) and South Korea (in fifth place). Germany manufactured 4 million 109,371 vehicles and South Korea 4 million 243,597 assembled units. According to OICA statistics at the end of 2023, the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world increased their assembly by 10% compared to the previous year and the country that stands out in this contribution is China, which managed to produce more than 3 million units in one year.

The countries that top the Top Ten list and grew by double digits, in addition to China with 12%, were Japan with 15%; South Korea 13%; Germany 18%, Mexico 14% and Spain 10%.

The big players in the manufacturing of light and commercial vehicles, which already include electric and hybrid units, are China, the United States, Japan, India, South Korea, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Brazil and Thailand. 2023 is considered the year of recovery for the automotive industry, after the Covid-19 pandemic that interrupted production, generated problems in supply chains, a shortage of parts and components such as semiconductors, as well as an increase in logistics costs. . Automotive production represents an increase of 1.5% compared to 2019, when 92.1 million vehicles were manufactured.

So far this year, the adjustments in the automotive industry have continued, since in the case of Mexico the problem of saturation of ports and customs points persists due to the growing trade from Asia, with the arrival of new Chinese brands to market, which which causes some delays in the automotive industry, from supply to marketing, according to the Mexican Association of the Automotive Industry (AMIA).

The increase in vehicle production in the world is also supported by the acceleration of production of electric vehicles, in which China has become the world's electric vehicle factory, having sold 30 million units in 2023 and the main exporter.

John Bozzella, president of the OICA, reported in November last year that 26 million electric vehicles were already circulating on the world's roads, which represented a five-fold increase since 2018.

“The global automotive industry has made a US$1 trillion commitment towards carbon neutrality. The future is electric but global electric vehicle goals need ambitious public policies.”