Data Module 042 — Industrial Intelligence
Morocco’s Automotive
Revolution
From a single state-owned plant in 1959 to Africa’s #1 car producer. Renault Tangier, Stellantis Kenitra, 270+ suppliers, $17 billion in exports, and the EU’s largest automotive exporter by value — 14 km from Spain.
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001 — Production Surge
From 45,000 to 1,000,000
Vehicle production growth 2010–2025. The vertical leap starts with Renault Tangier (2012) and accelerates with Stellantis Kenitra (2019).
002 — By the Numbers
The Industry Today
~$17B
Automotive exports (2024)
Ministry of Industry
1M+
Vehicle capacity (2025)
AMDIE
270+
Automotive suppliers
Up from 35 in 2000
~120,000
Direct industry jobs
Ministry of Industry
33%
Share of total exports
World Bank
14 km
Distance to Spain
Strait of Gibraltar
65.5%
Local integration rate
Renault Group, 2024
600,872
Vehicles via Tanger Med
2024, Port Authority
003 — Where the Cars Go
Export Markets
~80% of production is exported, primarily to the EU. Spain and France dominate — 14 km across the Strait and 1-day trucking to major European hubs.
Europe’s best-selling car — the Dacia Sandero — is made in Tangier. Not Romania. Not France. Morocco.
004 — Timeline
1959 — 2025
SOMACA founded
State-created with Fiat/SIMCA technical support. Morocco's first auto plant.
SOMACA privatised
Renault acquires majority stake. Shift from assembly to integrated manufacturing.
Industrial Acceleration Plan
Government launches automotive strategy: tax exemptions, free zones, training.
Renault Tangier opens
300-hectare plant. Renault's largest facility worldwide. 90% exported.
IFMIA training institutes
Auto training campuses in Tangier, Kenitra, Casablanca. 98% employment rate.
Stellantis Kenitra opens
Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Fiat production. €550M investment.
First EV production
Stellantis Kenitra — first Moroccan plant producing electric vehicles.
EU's #1 auto exporter
Morocco overtakes China & Japan. $17B exports. 600,872 vehicles via Tanger Med.
1M capacity reached
H1 production +36%. Stellantis announces €1.2B expansion to 535K units.
005 — The Electric Pivot
EV & Battery Investments
Morocco is positioning as a critical EV supply chain node — lithium batteries, hydrogen prototypes, and the first electric vehicles produced on African soil.
Gotion High-Tech
China$6.4BLithium battery & cathode facility
Stellantis
Europe€1.2BKenitra EV/hybrid expansion to 535K units
Renault
France—R&D centre + employment agreement
NamX
Morocco—Hydrogen-powered SUV prototype
Sentury Tyres
China—Tyre manufacturing
006 — The Three Plants
Assembly Operations
Renault Mellousa
Tangier · Est. 2012
Capacity
~340,000 vehicles/year
Employees
~6,400
Site
300 hectares
Renault's largest production site worldwide. 90% of output exported. Rail-connected to Tanger Med port.
SOMACA Casablanca
Casablanca · Est. 1959
Capacity
~160,000 vehicles/year
Employees
~3,000
Site
20 hectares
Morocco's original auto plant. State-founded 1959 with Fiat/SIMCA. Privatised 2003, Renault-owned.
Stellantis Kenitra
Kenitra · Est. 2019
Capacity
200,000 → 535,000 by 2030
Employees
~4,500
Site
62 hectares
First EV production in Morocco (2023). €1.2B expansion announced July 2025. Africa Technical Centre for R&D.
Sources
AMDIE — Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development
Tanger Med Port Authority — Annual vehicle throughput reports
Ministry of Industry and Trade — Industrial Acceleration Plan data
Renault Group — Annual reports and Morocco production data (2024)
Stellantis — Kenitra expansion announcement (July 2025)
Automotive Logistics — Morocco export analysis (2024)
World Bank — Morocco trade and export data
AIVAM — Association des Importateurs de Véhicules Au Maroc
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Sources: AMICA, Ministry of Industry Morocco