Car industry supports 13.6 million European jobs and €414.7 billion in annual tax revenue
One in fourteen European jobs depends on the automotive industry, which invests €84.6 billion a year in R&D and generates €414.7 billion in annual vehicle-related tax revenue.
- 13.6 million
- €414.7 billion
- €84.6 billion
- 39,000
What Happened
One in fourteen European jobs — 6.9% of total employment, or 13.6 million people — depends directly or indirectly on the automotive industry, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). Direct jobs are positions with vehicle manufacturers that design vehicles, run industrial sites, organise production and invest in technology; indirect jobs are created among suppliers, subcontractors and service providers that make the materials, parts, electronic systems, batteries and services needed to build vehicles. Manufacturing accounts for 2.5 million jobs, while ACEA estimates the industry supports 11.1 million indirect jobs. Within manufacturing, suppliers account for as many jobs as manufacturers — 1.19 million in parts and accessories against 1.09 million in vehicle assembly — and a further 4.2 million jobs are linked to sales, maintenance, repairs, fuel distribution and vehicle rental.
€414.7 billion
Compiled by ACEA for thirteen countries, including €94.6 billion in France in 2023.
- Vehicle manufacturers and suppliers: €84.6 billion, 34% of all R&D investment by European companies
- Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology: €40.1 billion
- Technology hardware: €21.5 billion
- Aerospace and defence: €7.7 billion
Vehicle manufacturing directly employs 215,000 people in France, 6.7% of national manufacturing employment, according to Eurostat 2023 data compiled by ACEA. Taking the whole industry from design to recycling, INSEE counted 4,080 companies and 329,000 employees at the end of 2023, generating €31.2 billion in value added — 1.1% of French GDP and 11% of French manufacturing value added. Vehicle manufacturing itself is only the visible part of the chain, accounting for just one quarter of that workforce with 84,600 employees, while component production such as bumpers, tyres and dashboards employs 123,210 people.
Renault Group has 39,000 employees in France across 17 sites — nine plants, seven technical centres and its headquarters — producing Renault and Alpine vehicles as well as engines, chassis and components. That French workforce is 39% of the Group's global employment, even though France accounts for 22% of its worldwide sales and 21% of its production. The Group's activities generate 35,000 indirect jobs within its French supplier network, and taxes and duties related to its operations came to €275 million, with social contributions and payroll taxes of €894 million for the 2025 financial year. It carries out 60% of its research and development spending in France, at the Technocentre and the technical centres in Lardy and Aubevoye, and 69% of the value added of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric is generated in France.
Renault Group has invested €13 billion in France.
Ford selected Renault Group to produce two electric vehicles in northern France.
The first vehicles from that Ford production are expected to reach dealerships.
A further €13 billion of investment is planned in France, to develop nine new models for the Group's brands and four additional models for its partners.
- Batilly, Maubeuge, Sandouville and Douai assemble vehicles for Nissan; Douai also assembles for Mitsubishi Motors, while Sandouville and Batilly produce light commercial vehicles for Renault Trucks.
- Renault Group supported the establishment in France of AESC's battery gigafactory, close to its assembly lines.
- Renault describes itself as the only manufacturer to design and produce its entire light commercial vehicle range in France: Kangoo in Maubeuge, Trafic in Sandouville and Master in Batilly.
- The Batilly plant in Meurthe-et-Moselle is France's only production site for large vans; it has 1,920 permanent employees and is recruiting 105 permanent staff in 2026.
- Renault Group has nine plants in France, including Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz in the ElectriCity cluster, as well as Sandouville, Batilly, Cléon and Le Mans; Alpine vehicles are produced at Douai and Dieppe.
Previously from Renault
Renault published these figures ahead of the Paris Motor Show, an event our coverage has followed closely. Earlier items traced 128 years of shared history between Renault and the show, noting that a car first had to prove it could drive roughly 40 kilometres before it could be exhibited at the 1898 edition, and recounted how the event moved to Porte de Versailles in 1962 and became the stage for the R5, the Espace, the Twingo and today's electric icons.
- Renault revisits six decades of Paris Motor Show history, from the Renault 8 to the electric R5 E-Tech
- Renault traces 128 years of shared history with the Paris Motor Show
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Renault's official releases.
Why this matters
The figures, published ahead of the Paris Motor Show, show how much European employment and public revenue depend on carmaking: 13.6 million jobs and €414.7 billion in tax revenue a year. That makes the sector's health a concern for workers, suppliers and governments, and Renault notes its French industrial base is larger than France's share of its sales would suggest.
Terms in This Story
- ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, the industry trade body that compiles the European employment, tax and R&D figures cited here.
- Value added
- The wealth created by an economic activity: the difference between what the activity produces or sells and what it has to purchase in order to produce it.
- Indirect job
- A position created among a company's suppliers, subcontractors and service providers as a result of the business it generates for them.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.