Car production in Portugal reached 95,582 vehicles in the first quarter, up 4.7% on the same period last year, despite a drop of more than 20% in March, the Automobile Association of Portugal (ACAP) announced today.
Since the beginning of the year, 77,374 passenger cars have been built (+9.7% compared to March 2023), 16,833 light goods vehicles (-13.2%) and 1,375 heavy goods vehicles (+2.4%).
In March, 31,732 cars were produced in Portugal, down 20.2% on the same month last year, ACAP said in a statement.
Of the total number of cars produced in the third month of the year, 26,193 were passenger cars (-17.5% compared to March 2023), 5,117 light goods vehicles (-31.2%) and 422 heavy vehicles (-23.8%).
ACAP pointed out that foreign markets were the main destination for cars manufactured in the first three months of 2024 in Portugal, with 98.4% going to foreign markets, “which makes a significant contribution to Portugal’s trade balance”.
According to the association, Europe continues to be the leading market for exports of vehicles made in Portugal, with 79.8%, with Germany (22.3%), Italy (12.7%), Spain (9.5%) and France (9.3%) standing out as the four main destinations.
The African market remains in second place among the regions, with 12.7% – especially Algeria (10.2%), while Asia accounts for 3.8% of car exports.
In terms of heavy-duty vehicle assembly, 35 heavy-duty vehicles – all passenger vehicles – were assembled in March, equivalent to a year-on-year increase of 250.0%.
In the first three months, the accumulated figure rose 69.6% to 78.
ACAP points out that until March, 55.1% of vehicles assembled in Portugal were exported, representing 43 units, with the United Kingdom (67.4%) and Germany (32.6%) being the only destinations for these exports.
