Roughly speaking, we know how many vehicles are manufactured each year in Canada: around 1.5 to 2.0 million. In the U.S., we know that production hovers around 10 to 11 million units.
But what about the rest of the world? Recently published figures give us a good indication of how many vehicles are manufactured each year.
First of all, it should be noted that 2024 is not yet over, so precise data for the current vintage is not yet available. Industry analysts estimate that 89.6 million vehicles will be built worldwide this year.
But sales figures for 2023 have been shared, and they tell a story. Not only do we learn that 93.5 million vehicles were assembled in 2023, but we also know where they came from, as production data from the 30 most active countries in this field have been compiled.
Let's take a look.
At the top of the list, China dominated global vehicle production in 2023, with 32.3 percent of output. Next come the U.S. at 11.3 percent, then Japan at 9.6 percent. In all, these three countries accounted for 53.2 percent of all global production last year (2023).
India followed at 6.3 percent, then we find South Korea at 4.5 percent, Germany at 4.4 percent and Mexico at 4.3 percent. That brings us to 72.7 percent of production for all the countries mentioned so far.
And where does Canada stand? We're getting there.
The list continues with Spain at 2.6 percent, Brazil at 2.5 percent, followed by Canada with 1.7 percent of worldwide production. France and Turkey follow at 1.6 percent, then the Czech Republic and Indonesia at 1.5 percent, Slovakia at 1.2 percent and the UK at 1.1 percent.
A host of countries share the rest, among them Italy at 0.9 percent, Russia at 0.8 percent and Portugal with 0.3 percent of the pie.
The final figures for 2024 are still to come, but they should resemble the picture we've just painted.
What's striking is the number of vehicles that are produced, on a recurring basis, every year. Just imagine the amount of resources involved.
It's hard not think there has to be an end to all this at some point - or at least a slowdown. For how long can the planet provide the resources to maintain such a pace?
We'll leave you with that food for thought as we head into 2025.
