Over the years, Morocco has meticulously woven a web of integrated industrial strategies aimed at propelling the automotive industry as a pivotal sector capable of propelling the country’s industrial development, the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies asserted in a recent analysis.
In doing so, the Kingdom has undertaken several decisive actions to remove obstacles to foreign investment, notably by tackling corruption, bureaucracy, and developing infrastructure, thus making Morocco a preferred destination for European and Asian businesses. operating in this field, underlines the author of the analysis, Basant Jamal.
According to the researcher, the automobile industry is now at the heart of Morocco’s growth strategy, playing a key role in stimulating the economy, creating export revenues, reducing the trade deficit while establishing new partnerships and creating jobs. Its industrial network includes more than 250 automobile parts suppliers and two manufacturers, Renault and Stellantis, thus helping to establish its regional leadership.
In addition, the sector of automobile export is particularly promising, even surpassing the phosphate industry to become the country’s main export industry. Automotive-related exports reached around 141.7 billion dirhams in 2023, recording annual growth of 27%.
Morocco exports mainly to the European Union, particularly France, Spain, Italy and Germany, making it an essential and competitive link between Africa and Europe in the chain. automotive supply. As a result, the country is ranked first in North Africa, second on the African continent and third among Arab countries in terms of car sales until 2023.
The strong production and assembly capacity of 700,000 cars has greatly contributed to this position as a major exporter, with projects aiming to reach an annual production of one million cars by 2025. To do this, Morocco is strengthening localization of the automotive industry by expanding industrial activities, developing value and supply chains, stimulating technological development and diversifying export markets.
The country now has 10 automotive-related industrial systems, including electrical wires, batteries, seats and tires, with the aim of creating a 100% Moroccan car. The Kingdom is also a magnet for foreign direct investment, attracting many global automotive companies.
The researcher recalls in this sense that Lear, an American company, manages eleven production sites in Morocco, while the Chinese group CITIC Dicastal has built a factory in the country with an investment of 400 million dollars. Sumitomo, a Japanese company, has announced the construction of nine additional factories by 2028. Renault has two factories in Morocco, one of which in Tangier is the largest in Africa, producing 287,000 cars. Stellantis, for its part, opened a factory in Morocco in 2019 and invested $300 million in 2022 to double its production capacity.
At the same time, Morocco aims to become an automobile manufacturing center by directing production towards complex components with high added value, aiming for a localization rate of 80% by 2030. The country produced its first entirely local car in 2023 , thus strengthening the “Made in Morocco” brand.
Moreover, Morocco is positioning itself for the future by focusing on electric and autonomous cars, with a current production capacity of 40,000 electric cars per year, aiming to reach 100,000 by 2025. Sales of electric cars in Morocco are expected to increase, going from 1,164 cars in 2023 to 2,674 in 2028.
