AUTOMOTIVE STUDY 2025 / Šaroch (ed.) et al.

e year 2023 was also favourable for EU exports, with motor vehicle exports reaching 6.63 million units, corresponding to a year-on-year increase of 10.3%. Focusing on passenger cars, their number increased by 8.8% compared to 2022, reaching 5.84 million units exported. ese statistics show that the automotive sector has gradually recovered after the pandemic downturn, with a recovery seen in both imports and exports. Growth in both directions indicates a renewed demand for motor vehicles at a global level, which has had a positive impact on the European Union’s overall foreign trade with this important industrial segment. Table 2.5: EU vehicle trade (2023; in volume) Passenger cars Other motor vehicles Motor vehicles – total ousand units Change 2023/22 ousand units Change 2023/22 ousand units Change 2023/22 Import 3,848 +20.3 % 392 -15.5 % 4,240 +15.8 % Export 5,836 +8.8 % 798 +22.5 % 6,634 +10.3 % Source: European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) As a result of the anti-pandemic measures, the production of passenger cars in many European countries has been reduced or even stopped for a short time in the spring of 2020. is hit to production capacity inevitably resulted in lower volumes of passenger cars exported from the European Union. Although the economic recovery in 2021 contributed to an improvement in the industrial situation, the automotive sector continued to face shortages of some key components and problems in supply chains, which a ected production and exports themselves. In 2023, around a fth of passenger car exports from the EU, namely 1.24 million units, went to the United Kingdom, which remained the most important export destination for the sector, thanks to links from when the UK was still part of the European Union (it left in 2020). Other key markets were the United States and Turkey. e US exported 800,000 passenger cars in 2023, with Turkey third, recording a year on-year increase in passenger car exports of more than 90%! e con ict in Ukraine, which was still the third largest importer of EU passenger cars in 2022 with more than 400,000 cars from the EU (up 110% on 2021), is also likely to play a part, but this market saw a huge decline in 2023. e year 2023 brought growth in the quantity of passenger car exports from the EU to most major destinations. However, a relatively signi cant decline occurred in China, where exports fell by 14.4%. ese gures point to continued momentum in EU car exports, with the post pandemic recovery helped by increasing export volumes to key markets, despite continuing challenges in components and logistics.

36