Battery prices fell to $139 per kWh in 2022, while global EV fast charger capacity jumped 40% to 400,000 public units. At the same time, the stakes for the broader auto ecosystem are getting clearer, with 85.0 million motor vehicles produced and CO2 from road transport still at 7.6 Gt. This post brings those threads together across EVs, manufacturing, jobs, infrastructure, and emissions to show where global Auto Industry momentum is actually concentrating.
Key Takeaways
- China's EV sales reached 6.9 million in 2022, 25% of total sales.
- Global electric car sales stock grew to 40 million by end-2022.
- BEV sales worldwide were 7.3 million in 2022.
- Global auto industry employed 14 million people directly in 2022.
- Auto manufacturing supports 60 million indirect jobs worldwide.
- China's auto sector employed 4.5 million in 2022.
- Global auto industry revenue reached $3.0 trillion in 2022.
- OEM profit margins averaged 8.2% globally in 2022.
- Global auto market size projected to grow to $4.0 trillion by 2030.
- In 2022, global motor vehicle production reached 85.0 million units, a 5% increase from 2021.
- China produced 27.0 million vehicles in 2022, accounting for 31.8% of global production.
- The United States manufactured 10.6 million vehicles in 2022, representing 12.5% of the world total.
- Global passenger car sales reached 66.8 million units in 2022.
- Light commercial vehicle sales were 13.5 million globally in 2022.
- China's auto sales hit 26.9 million vehicles in 2022.
EV adoption surged in 2022, with global electric sales up 55% year over year to record 10.2 million.
Related reading
01 · Category
Electric Vehicle Statistics22 stats
01
China's EV sales reached 6.9 million in 2022, 25% of total sales.
02
Global electric car sales stock grew to 40 million by end-2022.
03
BEV sales worldwide were 7.3 million in 2022.
04
PHEV sales totaled 2.8 million globally in 2022.
05
Europe EV sales hit 2.4 million in 2022, 16% market share.
06
US EV sales were 1.0 million in 2022, 6% of total.
07
Tesla delivered 1.31 million vehicles in 2022.
08
BYD sold 1.86 million NEVs in 2022.
09
Global EV battery production capacity reached 1,200 GWh in 2022.
10
Lithium-ion battery prices fell to $139/kWh in 2022.
11
EV charger installations globally totaled 2.7 million public units by 2022.
12
China had 2.1 million public EV chargers in 2022.
13
Europe's EV market share was 14.6% in 2022.
14
Global EV sales grew 55% YoY in 2022.
15
Norway's EV penetration reached 80% of new sales in 2022.
16
Global hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sales were 5,000 units in 2022.
17
EV two-wheeler sales hit 10 million in 2022, mostly in Asia.
18
Cumulative EV sales exceeded 25 million by mid-2022.
19
China's NEV sales share was 25.6% in 2022.
20
US BEV market share doubled to 5.8% in 2022.
21
Global public fast charger stock grew 40% to 400,000 in 2022.
22
EV bus sales worldwide were 40,000 units in 2022.
Interpretation
Electric Vehicle Statistics Interpretation
While China is aggressively plugging in, the US is still deciding on the extension cord, proving that the global EV race is less of a uniform parade and more like watching various nations attempt to assemble the same IKEA furniture with wildly different levels of urgency and reading the instructions.
02 · Category
Employment and Sustainability Statistics20 stats
01
Global auto industry employed 14 million people directly in 2022.
02
Auto manufacturing supports 60 million indirect jobs worldwide.
03
China's auto sector employed 4.5 million in 2022.
04
US auto industry jobs totaled 1.0 million direct in 2022.
05
Germany had 800,000 auto manufacturing jobs in 2022.
06
Japan auto employment was 5.5 million including suppliers.
07
Global auto R&D workforce grew 5% to 1.2 million in 2022.
08
Women represent 25% of global auto industry workforce.
09
Auto industry labor productivity up 3% YoY in 2022.
10
EV transition expected to create 10 million new jobs by 2030.
11
Global CO2 emissions from road transport 7.6 Gt in 2022.
12
Auto industry Scope 1+2 emissions totaled 1.2 GtCO2e in 2022.
13
70% of OEMs committed to net-zero by 2050.
14
Global vehicle fleet efficiency improved 2% in 2022.
15
Recycling rate for ELVs reached 95% in Europe in 2022.
16
Battery recycling capacity to hit 1 GWh by 2025 from 100 GWh in 2022.
17
15% of global steel production used in autos in 2022.
18
Auto industry water usage averaged 3,500 liters per vehicle.
19
Supplier workforce totaled 10 million globally in 2022.
20
India auto jobs reached 3.5 million in 2022.
Interpretation
Employment and Sustainability Statistics Interpretation
The global auto industry, a 74-million-person engine that simultaneously powers economies and climate change, is now racing to transform its massive footprint from one measured in steel and emissions to one charged by electrons and green jobs.
03 · Category
Market and Economic Statistics19 stats
01
Global auto industry revenue reached $3.0 trillion in 2022.
02
OEM profit margins averaged 8.2% globally in 2022.
03
Global auto market size projected to grow to $4.0 trillion by 2030.
04
China auto market revenue was $700 billion in 2022.
05
EV segment market share was 12% of global sales in 2022.
06
Global R&D spending by auto industry hit $140 billion in 2022.
07
Aftermarket parts market valued at $450 billion in 2022.
08
Autonomous vehicle market size was $1.9 billion in 2022.
09
Global car rental market revenue $95 billion in 2022.
10
Auto insurance premiums worldwide totaled $800 billion in 2022.
11
Supply chain costs rose 15% for OEMs in 2022 due to disruptions.
12
Global semiconductor shortage cost industry $210 billion in 2021-2022.
13
Average new car price globally rose 10% to $35,000 in 2022.
14
China passenger car market grew 2.5% in 2022.
15
Global auto exports totaled 35 million units in 2022.
16
Tier 1 supplier revenue was $1.2 trillion in 2022.
17
Mobility-as-a-Service market size $100 billion in 2022.
18
Global auto retail sales value $2.8 trillion in 2022.
19
EBITDA margins for top OEMs averaged 10% in 2022.
Interpretation
Market and Economic Statistics Interpretation
The auto industry is a massive, grindingly efficient machine where the promise of a trillion-dollar electric and autonomous future is currently being squeezed through the very narrow and expensive bottleneck of today's supply chains and semiconductor shortages.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production Statistics30 stats
01
In 2022, global motor vehicle production reached 85.0 million units, a 5% increase from 2021.
02
China produced 27.0 million vehicles in 2022, accounting for 31.8% of global production.
03
The United States manufactured 10.6 million vehicles in 2022, representing 12.5% of the world total.
04
Japan output stood at 7.8 million vehicles in 2022, or 9.2% of global production.
05
Germany's vehicle production was 4.1 million units in 2022, comprising 4.8% globally.
06
Passenger car production worldwide hit 66.5 million units in 2022.
07
Commercial vehicle global production reached 18.5 million in 2022.
08
India produced 5.5 million vehicles in 2022, up 22% from prior year.
09
South Korea's output was 3.9 million vehicles in 2022.
10
Brazil manufactured 2.3 million units in 2022.
11
Global production of light vehicles was 76.2 million in 2022.
12
Heavy truck production globally totaled 4.1 million units in 2022.
13
Mexico's vehicle production reached 3.9 million in 2022.
14
Spain produced 2.9 million vehicles in 2022.
15
Thailand output was 1.8 million units in 2022.
16
France manufactured 1.7 million vehicles in 2022.
17
In 2021, global production was 80.9 million vehicles, down due to chip shortages.
18
Asia produced 64.5 million vehicles in 2022, 76% of global total.
19
Europe's production was 15.2 million units in 2022.
20
Americas output totaled 19.8 million in 2022.
21
Africa produced 1.2 million vehicles in 2022.
22
Oceania's production was 0.5 million units in 2022.
23
Global bus production reached 0.3 million in 2022.
24
China's passenger car production was 21.2 million in 2022.
25
US light vehicle production was 9.8 million in 2022.
26
Japan's commercial vehicle output was 1.2 million in 2022.
27
Global production capacity utilization averaged 75% in 2022.
28
World vehicle production grew by 6% YoY in Q4 2022.
29
Top 10 producers accounted for 75% of global output in 2022.
30
Global engine production for vehicles was 92 million units in 2022.
Interpretation
Production Statistics Interpretation
While the world was collectively trying to remember where it left its car keys, China quietly built nearly a third of them, proving that the global auto industry’s recovery is being driven by Asia with everyone else along for the ride.
05 · Category
Sales Statistics22 stats
01
Global passenger car sales reached 66.8 million units in 2022.
02
Light commercial vehicle sales were 13.5 million globally in 2022.
03
China's auto sales hit 26.9 million vehicles in 2022.
04
US new car sales totaled 13.9 million in 2022.
05
Japan sold 4.3 million vehicles domestically in 2022.
06
Europe's passenger car sales were 11.2 million in 2022.
07
India's vehicle sales reached 4.0 million in 2022.
08
Brazil's sales volume was 2.8 million units in 2022.
09
Global heavy truck sales were 3.5 million in 2022.
10
Germany's new car registrations hit 2.9 million in 2022.
11
France sold 1.9 million vehicles in 2022.
12
South Korea's domestic sales were 1.7 million in 2022.
13
Global SUV sales surged to 28.5 million units in 2022.
14
Pickup truck sales worldwide reached 2.8 million in 2022.
15
Electric vehicle sales globally were 10.2 million in 2022.
16
Toyota Group sold 10.5 million vehicles worldwide in 2022.
17
Volkswagen Group sales totaled 8.3 million units in 2022.
18
Hyundai-Kia sold 7.3 million vehicles in 2022.
19
Global used car sales market size was 1.5 billion units in 2022.
20
Online auto sales grew 25% YoY to $150 billion in 2022.
21
Luxury car sales worldwide hit 2.7 million in 2022.
22
Global two-wheeler sales were 60 million units in 2022.
Interpretation
Sales Statistics Interpretation
Despite a world that sometimes feels stuck in traffic, the global auto industry in 2022 was a roaring engine of contradictions, where 66.8 million new passenger cars hit the road, nearly half were SUVs, electric vehicles quietly passed a crucial milestone, and the used car market quietly dwarfed them all with a staggering 1.5 billion units changing hands.
Reference
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APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Global Auto Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-auto-industry-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Global Auto Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/global-auto-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Global Auto Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-auto-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
17 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level