Of the total number of cars produced in the first month of this year, 17,562 are passenger cars (down 26.5% compared to January 2025), 5,617 are passenger cars (-2.3%) and 394 are heavy vehicles (-9.4%).

Despite the reduction, ACAP pointed out that the sector continues to be an important element in the Portuguese trade balance, since “97.4% of vehicles manufactured in Portugal are destined for the external market”.

Europe continues to be the leading export market, with 87.3% of national production, with emphasis on Germany (18.4%), Italy (14.9%), the United Kingdom (14.1%) and France (11.2%).

The American market, with Chile accounting for 5.2% of its share, ranks second, with 5.4% of exports, double that of the African continent (2.7%), which ranks third among recipients of cars manufactured in Portugal.

Regarding the assembly of trucks, eight heavy vehicles were assembled in January – all passenger vehicles –, equivalent to a 60% drop in the annual comparison.

ACAP points out that in January, seven of these eight vehicles assembled in Portugal were exported, with Germany being the only destination for these exports.