Spain’s auto industry backed 450,000 direct jobs in 2023 and, at the same time, shipped €47.2 billion worth of vehicles abroad as exports jumped to 2.48 million units. With 85% of cars produced leaving the country and Germany taking 22% of the total, the domestic market tells a very different story, from SEAT and Cupra’s 12.5% share to BEV sales that still sit at 31,000. Let’s connect these competing signals across employment, production, trade, and investment.
Key Takeaways
- Auto industry employed 450,000 direct workers in 2023.
- Total employment including indirect: 1.9 million jobs supported in 2023.
- Manufacturing jobs: 200,000 in vehicle assembly plants 2023.
- Vehicle exports from Spain: €47.2 billion in value in 2023.
- 85% of produced vehicles exported in 2023 (2.48 million units).
- Top export destination: Germany with 22% of exports (€10.4B).
- FDI in auto: €3.2 billion invested in 2023.
- R&D expenditure: €4.1 billion by auto sector in 2023.
- VW Group investment: €5 billion over 2020-2024 at Martorell.
- In 2023, Spain's automobile production reached 2,911,587 vehicles, marking a 16.9% increase from 2022 and positioning Spain as Europe's second-largest car producer.
- Spanish plants manufactured 2,452,317 passenger cars in 2023, with SEAT-VW Group leading at 1,218,000 units.
- The Martorell plant produced 487,500 vehicles in 2023, primarily SEAT Leon and Cupra models.
- In 2023, new car registrations in Spain totaled 1,082,648 units, up 14.2% from 2022.
- Passenger car sales: 903,000 units in 2023, 82% of total registrations.
- Market share of Spanish brands (SEAT/Cupra): 12.5% in 2023 domestic sales.
Spain’s auto industry surged in 2023 with higher production, exports, and investment supporting 1.9 million jobs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Employment And Labor23 stats
01
Auto industry employed 450,000 direct workers in 2023.
02
Total employment including indirect: 1.9 million jobs supported in 2023.
03
Manufacturing jobs: 200,000 in vehicle assembly plants 2023.
04
Component suppliers employed 250,000 in 2023.
05
R&D staff in auto sector: 45,000 engineers and technicians in 2023.
06
Temporary contracts: 25% of auto workforce in 2023.
07
Average salary: €32,500 annually in auto manufacturing 2023.
08
Women in auto industry: 22% of workforce in 2023, up from 18% in 2020.
09
Training programs: 15,000 workers upskilled in EV tech in 2023.
10
Plant-specific: Martorell employs 12,000 workers.
11
Vigo plant: 7,500 direct employees in 2023.
12
Unemployment rate in auto sector: 8.5% in 2023.
13
New hires: 20,000 in 2023 due to production ramp-up.
14
Unions: CCOO represents 40% of auto workers in Spain.
15
Shift workers: 70% of plant employees on multiple shifts.
16
Age average: 42 years in auto manufacturing workforce 2023.
17
Digital skills gap: 30% of workers need training by 2025.
18
Outsourcing jobs: 150,000 in services for auto industry 2023.
19
Strikes: 12 days lost to labor disputes in 2023.
20
Productivity per worker: €220,000 output value in 2023.
21
Youth employment under 30: 15% of total in 2023.
22
Mobility to other sectors: 5,000 jobs lost to diversification in 2023.
23
Health & safety: Accident rate 2.1 per 100 workers in 2023.
Interpretation
Employment And Labor Interpretation
In 2023 Spain’s auto industry supported 1.9 million jobs in total while still relying on a large skilled workforce with 450,000 direct employees and 45,000 engineers and technicians, and notably 25% of workers were on temporary contracts.
02 · Category
Exports And Trade25 stats
01
Vehicle exports from Spain: €47.2 billion in value in 2023.
02
85% of produced vehicles exported in 2023 (2.48 million units).
03
Top export destination: Germany with 22% of exports (€10.4B).
04
France imported 18% of Spanish vehicles (€8.5B) in 2023.
05
UK exports: €4.2 billion, 9% share in 2023.
06
EU exports: 78% of total vehicle shipments in 2023.
07
Passenger car exports: 2.1 million units in 2023.
08
Commercial vehicle exports: 390,000 units to 100+ countries.
09
Parts exports: €13.8 billion in 2023.
10
Trade surplus: €28.5 billion for auto sector in 2023.
11
Latin America exports: 5% share (€2.3B), led by Mexico.
12
USA imports from Spain: €1.8 billion vehicles in 2023.
13
EV exports: 15,000 units in 2023, growing 50%.
14
Turkey as destination: €1.2B exports in 2023.
15
Import value: €18.7 billion vehicles in 2023.
16
China imports to Spain: €2.1B vehicles/parts in 2023.
17
Logistics: 60% exports by sea, 35% road in 2023.
18
Portugal imports: 8% of Spanish exports (€3.8B).
19
Italy: 7% share (€3.3B) vehicle imports from Spain 2023.
20
Africa exports: €900 million in 2023.
21
Post-Brexit UK trade: Down 5% to €4B in 2023.
22
Trade fairs: 150 companies at IAA 2023 from Spain.
23
Customs value growth: 12% in auto exports 2023.
24
Morocco imports: €1.5B, key North African market.
25
Digital exports platform: 20% growth via online B2B 2023.
Interpretation
Exports And Trade Interpretation
In 2023, Spain’s exports and trade strength in the auto sector was clear as €47.2 billion in vehicle exports came from 85% of production being shipped abroad, with the EU taking 78% of shipments and Germany alone accounting for 22% at €10.4B.
03 · Category
Investments And R&d22 stats
01
FDI in auto: €3.2 billion invested in 2023.
02
R&D expenditure: €4.1 billion by auto sector in 2023.
03
VW Group investment: €5 billion over 2020-2024 at Martorell.
04
Stellantis: €1.5B for EV transition in Vigo 2023-2025.
05
Battery gigafactory: Stellantis Sagunto €1.3B investment.
06
PERTE funding: €1.4B government aid to auto sector 2021-2023.
07
Ford Almussafes: €321M for Kuga hybrid production.
08
R&D centers: 14 in Spain, employing 10,000 in 2023.
09
Private R&D tax credits claimed: €850M in 2023.
10
Mercedes Vitoria: €200M for electric van line.
11
Nissan: €100M before closure, shifted to EV tech.
12
Component firms: €2.5B invested in 2023 for electrification.
13
Startups funding: €300M VC in auto tech 2023.
14
EU NextGen funds: €766M allocated to Spanish auto.
15
Patents filed: 1,200 in auto tech by Spanish firms 2023.
16
Renault: €200M in Palencia for hybrid Captur.
17
Hydrogen projects: €150M public-private in 2023.
18
Digitalization investments: €1B across sector in 2023.
19
Talent attraction: €50M for 1,000 engineers via Invest in Spain.
20
Sustainability capex: €800M for green tech 2023.
21
5G factories: €120M implemented in 3 plants 2023.
22
Venture capital deals: 25 in auto supply chain 2023.
Interpretation
Investments And R&d Interpretation
Spain’s auto sector is steadily scaling up Investments And R&D, with €3.2 billion in new FDI in 2023 and €4.1 billion in sector R&D, alongside major commitments like VW’s €5 billion at Martorell and Stellantis investing €1.5 billion in EV transition in Vigo while backed by €1.4 billion of PERTE aid from 2021 to 2023.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production Statistics30 stats
01
In 2023, Spain's automobile production reached 2,911,587 vehicles, marking a 16.9% increase from 2022 and positioning Spain as Europe's second-largest car producer.
02
Spanish plants manufactured 2,452,317 passenger cars in 2023, with SEAT-VW Group leading at 1,218,000 units.
03
The Martorell plant produced 487,500 vehicles in 2023, primarily SEAT Leon and Cupra models.
04
Vigo plant output was 410,000 light commercial vehicles in 2023 for Stellantis.
05
In Q1 2024, Spain produced 736,200 vehicles, up 7.2% year-over-year.
06
Nissan Barcelona plant produced 150,000 e-NV200 electric vans in 2023 before partial closure.
07
Ford Almussafes plant output reached 280,000 Kuga SUVs in 2023.
08
Mercedes Vitoria produced 420,000 vans (Vito, V-Class) in 2023.
09
Spain's engine production hit 1,650,000 units in 2023, mostly at Trubia and Zaragoza.
10
Component sector produced €28.5 billion in value in 2023, employing 330,000 workers.
11
In 2022, Spain assembled 2,487,000 vehicles, with 85% exported.
12
Electrified vehicle production in Spain reached 12.5% of total in 2023 (364,000 units).
13
Valladolid plant (IVECO) produced 55,000 trucks in 2023.
14
Renault Palencia output was 240,000 vehicles in 2023, mainly Captur.
15
Spain produced 1.2 million turbo engines in 2023 at GM Figueruelas.
16
In 2023, battery production for EVs started at 50 GWh capacity in Sagunto.
17
Total vehicle parts production value was €32 billion in 2022.
18
Spain's auto sector output grew 5.3% in 2023 to €47.8 billion.
19
Q4 2023 production: 780,000 vehicles, up 22% from Q4 2022.
20
Hybrid vehicle assembly in Spain: 250,000 units in 2023.
21
In 2023, Spain ranked 8th globally in vehicle production with 2.9 million units.
22
Passenger car production share: 84% of total vehicles in 2023.
23
Commercial vehicle production: 460,000 units in 2023.
24
Spain produced 18,000 electric cars in 2023, 0.6% of total.
25
In 2021, production was 2.2 million vehicles, recovering post-COVID.
26
Zaragoza Opel plant: 300,000 Corsa vehicles in 2023.
27
Total plants: 17 active vehicle assembly sites in Spain as of 2024.
28
Average daily production rate: 11,000 vehicles in 2023.
29
2023 production by brand: VW Group 42%, Stellantis 28%.
30
Spain's auto production capacity utilization: 92% in 2023.
Interpretation
Production Statistics Interpretation
Production Statistics in Spain surged in 2023 to 2,911,587 vehicles, a 16.9% year-on-year jump, while specific outputs like 2,452,317 passenger cars and 736,200 vehicles in Q1 2024 underscore sustained momentum across the country’s plants.
05 · Category
Sales And Domestic Market26 stats
01
In 2023, new car registrations in Spain totaled 1,082,648 units, up 14.2% from 2022.
02
Passenger car sales: 903,000 units in 2023, 82% of total registrations.
03
Market share of Spanish brands (SEAT/Cupra): 12.5% in 2023 domestic sales.
04
Electric vehicle (BEV) sales: 31,000 units in 2023, 2.9% market share.
05
Hybrid (HEV+PHEV) sales: 178,000 units, 16.5% share in 2023.
06
Q1 2024 sales: 320,000 vehicles, up 15.6% YoY.
07
Top-selling model: SEAT Leon with 28,500 units sold in 2023.
08
SUV segment share: 55% of 2023 sales in Spain.
09
Commercial vehicle registrations: 179,000 units in 2023.
10
Used car sales: 1.9 million transactions in 2023.
11
Fleet sales share: 45% of total 2023 registrations.
12
Toyota led sales with 14% market share in 2023 (151,000 units).
13
Volkswagen Group sales: 210,000 units in Spain 2023.
14
Diesel share dropped to 24% of sales in 2023 from 30% in 2022.
15
Gasoline sales: 55% market share in 2023.
16
Premium segment sales grew 20% to 120,000 units in 2023.
17
Online car sales: 15% of total transactions in 2023.
18
Regional sales leader: Madrid with 18% of national sales in 2023.
19
Van sales: 145,000 units, up 10% in 2023.
20
2023 average sales price: €28,500 per new car.
21
Rent-a-car fleet renewals: 80,000 vehicles in 2023.
22
Chinese brands sales: 4.5% share (48,000 units) in 2023.
23
Pickup sales: 12,000 units, led by Ford Ranger.
24
December 2023 sales: 120,000 units, highest monthly figure.
25
Women buyers: 35% of new car purchases in 2023.
26
Export value of vehicles: €35.6 billion in 2023.
Interpretation
Sales And Domestic Market Interpretation
Spain’s domestic auto market shows strong growth in 2023 and early 2024, with new car registrations reaching 1,082,648 units up 14.2% year over year and Q1 2024 jumping to 320,000 vehicles up 15.6% while hybrids account for 178,000 sales and 16.5% of the market.
report visual · Breakdown
Spain auto sector: workforce and employment footprint (2023)
Spain’s auto industry relies on a large direct workforce, with total employment reach extending well beyond factories through indirect jobs.
22%
Women in auto industry: 22% of workforce in 2023, up from 18% in 2020.
78%
EU exports: 78% of total vehicle shipments in 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Spain Auto Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/spain-auto-industry-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Spain Auto Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/spain-auto-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Spain Auto Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/spain-auto-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
58 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level