Introduction

Historically the automotive industry has always been at the heart of the Belgian economy. Belgium owes its international reputation as an automotive country to the presence of an important assembly and supply industry cumulating to a total added value of € 1.9 billion (Source NBB). Four renowned car makers have major production and assembly units here: Ford in Genk, Opel in Antwerp, Volvo Cars in Ghent and Volkswagen in Brussels. Their 23,757 direct employees yield an average annual output of 883,548 vehicles (2003 figures), worth a total of around € 10,6 billion. As a result, Belgium is still one of the world leaders in terms of per capita production. More than 96% of output is for export, further emphasizing the international character of this industry. The parent companies have all confirmed their confidence in Belgium by means of ongoing and sustained capital expenditure programs aiming at extra capacity (Volvo Ghent; +80% as of mid 2004) or additional platform flexibility (Ford and Opel).

More than 300 automotive suppliers in Belgium employ 70,000 people in the sector. These companies are active across a full range of services including production, logistics, engineering, R&D, ICT, services, etc. for a total added value worth € 3.3 billion (Source NBB). Their ability to adapt rapidly to new supply rules has put Belgian suppliers among the world leaders.

Belgium also has a worldwide reputation for its production of trucks, buses and trailers. Names like Van Hool, Volvo Europa Truck, Stokota, Atcomex and Jonckheere Bus and Coach are just some of the first-rate players on the international automotive scene. Over 10,000 workers in the sector help generate an annual turnover of € 2.7 billion.