Morocco becomes the EU's leading trading partner in the automotive sector

Morocco has become the European Union's leading trading partner in the automotive sector, surpassing China. With sales of more than 15.1 billion euros, the Kingdom surpassed the 13.6 billion euros generated by the Asian giant, according to data from the Moroccan Foreign Exchange Office and the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (Acea) collected by Maghreb Intelligence.  

However, China continues to lead in terms of volume, with almost 782,000 vehicles exported, compared to 536,000 for Morocco. 

The North African country's success in the automotive industry is largely due to the presence of brands such as Dacia, a subsidiary of Renault, and Stellantis. Morocco has several industrial centres, notably in Tangier and Kénitra, where models such as the Sandero and Citroën Ami are produced. In fact, according to Maghreb Intelligence, Dacia assembles more vehicles in Morocco than in Romania, despite the fact that the models manufactured in Romania have a higher added value. 

Amid these good results, the Moroccan government expects to produce one million cars per year by 2025. Production capacity currently stands at 700,000 units, with a network of more than 230 suppliers and 220,000 jobs created in the sector. Between 2020 and 2023, car production in Morocco increased by 63%, consolidating its position as a leader in Africa. 

In this regard, according to figures from L'Economiste, Morocco has set a new record in exports of vehicles and automotive components manufactured in the Kingdom in 2024, definitively positioning itself as the leading producer of automobiles on the continent, well ahead of South Africa, both in volume and value.  

Likewise, domestically, this sector is once again positioned as the leading export industry, achieving an estimated revenue of 92.7 billion dirhams, 8.5% more than in the previous year. Within the sector, the export of vehicle interiors and seats grew the most with 18.3 per cent, followed by the body assembly segment which grew by 8.3 per cent, according to figures published by the Office of Foreign Exchange (OE). 

Within this industry, Morocco has also succeeded in developing the first Moroccan production car that is 100% electric, Neo, and plans to present with the Moroccan-British technology company Atlas E-Mobility Group the first battery electric vehicle (BEV) designed and manufactured in Africa.