The shifting center of gravity of the automotive industry worldwide
Asia has firmly established itself as the global powerhouse of motor vehicle manufacturing, expanding by an impressive 113% over the past two decades. This surge has been driven largely by the relocation of production to lower-cost regions, most notably China, which alone accounted for 34% of global output in 2024. With the rise of electric vehicles, China has […]
How did Chinese cars (especially electric ones) strengthen their presence in Europe?
The expansion of Chinese cars in Europe, especially electric vehicles, has been developing for years, although it has recently become much more visible due to increasing international sales and competitive pricing. The rise of electric vehicles created a technological opportunity that Chinese firms could effectively exploit thanks to strong state support and early investments in […]
Long-term production and sales trends in the European automotive industry
The European automotive industry has faced a series of setbacks over the past decades. The first major shock came with the 2008 global financial crisis, after which car production and sales never returned to their 2007 peak. Demand and production declined again during the COVID-19 pandemic. The outsourcing of assembly partly explains the decreasing motor vehicle production […]
Growth of the motorization rate in Romania
The number of cars has been increasing over time, which is reflected in the motorization rate, a measure of the number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants. A higher motorization rate generally indicates greater car ownership and potentially higher individual mobility. In Romania, the motorization rate reached 461 in 2025, but despite a 40% increase since 2018, the […]
Trends in the growth and aging of passenger cars in use in Romania
Passenger cars provide comfortable and flexible mobility, but they represent the most expensive consumer good in many Romanian households. The number of passenger cars in Romania has increased significantly in recent years, exceeding 8.7 million in 2025, which represents a 21% increase compared to 2020. While the average annual growth of the car fleet in the European Union has been […]
Passenger cars in use and motorization rate in Europe
The European passenger car fleet is largest in Germany, with almost 50 million cars in use in 2024, followed by Italy and France. After the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal in 2015, the popularity of diesel cars declined, and petrol vehicles became more common. Overall, the share of electric vehicles in the total fleet remains relatively low, although Norway is a […]