According to a report released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), the general situation of the EU automobile sector improved in 2010, exports picked up again, amounting to € 83.3 bn, after an overall € 27.3 bn trade surplus in 2009, the lowest recorded since 1999. The trade balance of the EU auto sector revealed a surplus of € 57.1 bn for the whole year of 2010.
In 2010, Passenger car exports accounted for € 76.5 bn, light commercial vehicles for € 3.2 bn and heavy commercial vehicles (including buses and coaches) for € 3.6 bn. In 2010, the EU imported € 26.2 bn worth of motor vehicles, with cars representing € 22.0 bn, light commercial vehicles € 3.5 bn and heavy commercial vehicles (including buses and coaches) € 0.72 bn.
In 2010, the EU market for new passenger cars declined by 5.5 percent, with a total of 13,360,599 new units registered throughout the year. The 2010 results were marked by the ending of government fleet renewal schemes in many EU countries. Over the first six months of 2011, a total of 7,120,499 new cars was registered, or 2.1% less than in the first half of last year.
ACEA stated that following 2009 which saw production drop across segments throughout the year, 2010 marked the recovery of the automobile industry although pre-crisis levels have not been attained yet. A total of 16.9 million motor vehicles were produced in the EU in the course of 2010, which is 11% more than in the previous year but 8% less when compared to 2008 and 14% less than in the crisis-free year of 2007. In the new passenger car production particularly, despite an 8 percent increase, new passenger car reached in absolute figures the lowest level recorded since 1997, with the exception of 2009.
The number of cars manufactured in the EU in 2010 amounted to 15.1 million units, or 8 percent more than in the preceding year but 6 percent less than in 2008