Power Outage and Easter Week Hamper Vehicle Production and Export in April

Bad news for vehicle production and export. While the reduced number of working days due to Easter Week accounts for part of the decline in the number of cars leaving Spanish factories, exports have also fallen, with Europe remaining the main destination for vehicles produced in Spain.

According to figures provided by the manufacturers' association Anfac, vehicle production fell again in April with a 7.4% decrease, resulting in 193,541 vehicles produced.

In addition to having fewer production days in April due to Easter Week, the power outage across the Iberian Peninsula on April 28 also impacted the final figure.

The annual total remains negative compared to the previous year, decreasing by 9.2%, with a total of 784,423 units so far this year.

Only commercial and industrial vehicles boosted production last month with a 45.3% increase, reaching 42,550 units, while car production contracted by 15.9%, with a total of 150,991 units manufactured in April, resulting in an annual cumulative decline of 10.6%.

According to José López-Tafall, Anfac's general director, these temporary factors cannot hide a deeper problem, which is the low demand in European markets. In this regard, 166,488 units were exported in April, 8.5% less than in April 2024, with the annual cumulative standing at an 11.7% decline with 673,066 units exported.

These negative figures occur in a context where Europe remains the main destination for exports, with Germany, France, and Turkey as the main receiving countries, and with 86% of production destined for export. Germany (16.3%), France (16.1%), and Turkey (13.9%) were the top three countries receiving Spanish vehicles, followed by Italy (11.5%) and the United Kingdom (11.3%).

For López-Tafall, this situation highlights the need to recover the market with a focus on new technologies, while simultaneously implementing industrial and competitiveness measures to keep production in Spain attractive. "These measures must be significant, because given the international scenario and the commitments the European Union has imposed on itself, now establishing irrelevant measures would be the best formula for failure. Spain and Europe want a radical change, and as common sense dictates, nothing is free: strong bets require resources and strong measures," he added.

In April, the production of alternative vehicles (electric, plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids, natural gas, and LPG) accounted for 37.3% of total production, with a total of 72,115 units, marking a 31.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Conventional hybrids continue to lead the production of alternative vehicles, with 50,260 units and 26% of global production.

Electrified vehicles (BEV and PHEV) held a 9.6% share in April, representing a 26.3% reduction compared to the same period in 2024, with 18,618 units.

Additionally, during the first four months of this year, 3% fewer electrified vehicles were manufactured, totaling 76,538 units. Despite the decline in April, the share of electrified vehicles in the annual cumulative slightly improved by 0.7 percentage points compared to a year ago, representing 9.8% of production.