Imogen Calderwood
SPAIN’s car industry is in a race to 2017, and based on the first six months’ results, the country is pulling ahead even faster than predicted.
The Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Factories (ANFAC) launched its exhaustive ‘3 Million Plan’ this year when Spain dropped to being the 12th largest producer of cars worldwide (previously 9th).
The plan aims to boost auto production to three million by 2017 and put Spain back in the top 10.
So far the statistics look good and in the past 12 months – except January – production has been in the green.
In the last six months alone, Spain has produced 1.3 million vehicles. If it continues at the same rate 2014 will end with a 12% higher production rate than predicted.
Production would hit 2.6 million this year, putting Spain back in 9th place.
Thailand’s production has been predicted at 2.2 million this year, a full 10% drop from last year’s numbers. Sitting in between Spain and Thailand are Canada and Russia, which have seen a 1.8% and 12% drop respectively.
Mexico, however, has put itself in 8th place after producing over 3 million cars in 2013, making it untouchable, even if the ‘3 Million Plan’ succeeds.
Competition aside, Spain’s production increases have done great things for the economy.
Anfac created 6,000 jobs in the first trimester of 2014 alone and it closed out 2013 with €2.2 billion in profits.
Production is a race? How depressing. Recent reports show that for the first time, there are signs that the world economies are beginning to collapse. Production and constant creation of goods using finite resources is now leading to a position where there the environment is being irretrievably damaged. The report can be read here:
“http://rt.com/news/185168-limits-to-growth-updated-models/”
Well done Spain! Better to do something positive, than just spend all your time whingeing and whining.
You make a good point Fred, but citing the notorious Russian propaganda channel RT eliminates its impact.
@Alun, that’s just a link I could lay my hands on. Here it is from the authors at the University of Melbourne – “http://www.sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/files/mssi/MSSI-ResearchPaper-4_Turner_2014.pdf” and here is the article from The Guardian – “http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/limits-to-growth-was-right-new-research-shows-were-nearing-collapse”
@Squiddy, a race for production is not “doing something positive”, it’s just a means to an end, and an unsustainable means to an end. Read the report and learn. Our children and grandchildren will feel these changes, gradual of course as they are.