Germany, Japan, and the United States ranked as the world’s top car exporters in 2021, in descending order.

While German automobile exports rose at an interannual rate of 13.2%, to 139,124 million dollars, those of Japan climbed 5.7% (85,503 million) and those of the United States increased 19% (54,682 million), according to data of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Overall, the auto industry saw a minimal increase in global production schedules in 2021 following unusually low production rates in 2020.

The lack of significant growth in 2021 was primarily due to the impacts of global supply chain disruptions, including worldwide semiconductor supply shortages, and follows the significant decline in vehicle production in 2020 that was driven by the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result, 2021 global vehicle sales and production rates continue to be significantly below historical levels.

Car exporters

Compared to unusually low production rates in 2020, vehicle production in 2021 increased 2% in China, 1% in North America and 18% in South America, and decreased 4% in Europe.

Among car exporters, South Korea and Mexico occupied the fourth and fifth positions, with the first of these countries registering a year-on-year increase of 24.4% (44,318 million dollars) and the second reporting a drop of 7.1% (37,374 million). .

According to Aptiv, demand for automotive components in the OEM market is generally a function of the number of new vehicles produced in response to consumer demand, which is primarily driven by by macroeconomic factors such as credit availability, interest rates, fuel prices, consumer confidence, employment and other trends.

While demand from OEMs is tied to actual vehicle production, participants in the automotive technology and components industry also have the opportunity to grow by increasing product content per vehicle by further penetrating business with existing customers and in existing markets, winning new customers and increasing its presence in global markets.