The reduction reaches 38% during the month of October due to a microchip deficit that prolongs the serious crisis in a key sector for Spain
The automotive industry is consolidated as one of the great brakes for economic recovery once it has been confirmed that during the first ten months of 2021 fewer vehicles have already been produced than in the same period in 2020. One season was directly marked by confinement and closure of factories that has fallen short with the more than worrying current situation.
The data from the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac) are clear. Until October, a total of 1,757,280 units have been manufactured, which represents a drop of 2.5% compared to 2020 and 26.7% compared to 2019, the year to be taken as reference. There is no silver lining in the numbers.
Although the beginning of the year was better than last year, as the weeks have progressed the business has become more and more complicated. October has been the point of collapse that has marked that production is already lower after closing with a reduction of 37.9% compared to the same month of 2020. Only 165,003 cars and vans were assembled.
The health crisis has fallen short compared to the subsequent crisis of raw materials and shortages that has led to the microchip market being almost blocked and hitting the European automotive more than ever. The ERTEs have multiplied in the second semester and the Volkswagen factories in Navarra, the Mercedes factories in Vitoria, the Stellantis factories (formerly PSA Citröen) in Vigo and Zaragoza, the Seat in Barcelona or the Ford in Valencia chain stoppages of several constant days.
To this more than complicated context is added the fall in demand in the national and international market, which has also dragged registrations to the worst values since the economic crisis. All of Europe is in a similar situation and alarms are soaring after the dire figures have been extended to exports.
In the month of October, foreign sales fell 38.2% compared to the same month of the previous year, to a total of 142,723 units. Until the tenth month of the year there are 1,523,745 units, which represents a decrease of 1.6%. In the same period, the collection of the registration tax also decreased by 36%
Hybrid and electric
Due to the lack of components, the Spanish automotive industry has decided to focus on hybrid and electric vehicles, which are the only ones that respond somewhat better to a constant collapse of combustion vehicles, which is assumed to no longer stop due to the change to a newer model. sustainable. Despite this, the assembly of this business line also fell 24.3% in October to 20,597 units. Of course, the production quota already reaches 12.5% of the total.
José López-Tafall, general director of Anfac, insists that this is not a national problem but asks to act immediately. “We are facing, beyond a necessary recovery, a transformation in the mobility model both at an industrial level and at a social level,” remarks López, who claims not only to bet on European funds that will electrify the productive fabric but also on other measures. The workforce is also on the edge due to uncertainty and mobilizations have begun in the street.
For its part, the European Union has moved to double the production of microchips in the Old Continent with plans for new factories to prevent this problem from repeating itself. But this solution will take years to materialize. In 2022 this crisis will continue and the only hope is that it lasts for just a few months.
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