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

e impact of these changes on the European automotive industry will be interesting to monitor in the future, especially in light of the geopolitical and economic in uences that may further a ect these dynamics. Table 2.8: TOP 5 countries: Passenger car imports into the EU (in thousand units) 2022 2023 Change 23/22 China 484.8 676.8 +39.6 % Turkey 446.1 514.9 +15.4 % Japan 339.1 448.0 +32.1 % South Korea 410.6 430.4 +4.8 % Morocco 328.8 382.6 +16.3 % Source: ACEA, Eurostat In 2020, the total value of passenger cars imported into the European Union fell by almost a fth as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on global trade. However, already in 2021, imports saw an increase of 3.4% compared to the previous year, and the positive trend continued in 2022, when the value of imported cars increased by a further 15%. In 2023, the value of imported passenger cars reached €78.4 billion, representing a 27% annual growth. In terms of the total value of imports, China will become the largest supplier of cars to the EU in 2023, with exports worth €12.8 billion. e country has already overtaken traditional trading partners such as the United Kingdom, South Korea and the United States in a very convincing way. China’s growing share of car imports by value indicates not only its strengthening position in the European market, but also the increasing competitiveness of Chinese cars in the premium segment. e UK, Japan, South Korea and the US remain key trading partners, but the slight gap with China re ects dynamic changes within the automotive industry. ese changes in the share of importers show how the global passenger car market continues to evolve and suggest the possibility that the role of individual supplier countries will continue to change in response to technological, economic and regulatory factors as well as changes in consumer preferences. Table 2.9: TOP 5 countries: Passenger car imports into the EU (by value; in EUR million) 2022 2023 Change 23/22 China 9,349 12,812 +37.1 % United Kingdom 7,768 10,265 +32.1 % Japan 7,340 10,201 +39.0 % South Korea 7,919 9,923 +25.3 % US 5,151 7,798 +51.4 % Source: ACEA, Eurostat

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