Casablanca – Morocco’s automotive exports continued their strong expansion during the first eight months of 2026, reaching nearly $12 billion by the end of August and growing considerably faster than the country’s total merchandise exports. The performance reinforces the importance of vehicle manufacturing and its associated supply chains to Morocco’s external trade, while growth in aerospace and food processing provided additional support to exports.

Automotive exports reached approximately $11.96 billion between January and August, representing a 14.5% increase from the same period of 2025. The sector’s growth was supported by several branches, with manufacturing and wiring accounting for the largest shares of automotive export revenues.

Vehicle manufacturing exports increased by 19% to around $4.61 billion. Wiring exports rose 13.9% to approximately $4.61 billion, putting the two branches at almost identical levels. Exterior equipment recorded the fastest growth, with exports increasing 43.6% to about $388 million.

The distribution of automotive exports indicates that Morocco’s role in international vehicle supply chains extends beyond finished vehicles. Component production, wiring systems and equipment have become major export activities, linking Moroccan factories with automobile manufacturers and suppliers serving overseas markets.

The expansion has also taken place as Morocco continues to develop its automotive production capacity. The country has attracted vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers, particularly around major industrial areas, creating a network that supports assembly as well as the production of parts and electrical systems. The growth in wiring exports is particularly significant because this activity has become one of the largest contributors to automotive export revenues.

The automotive sector’s performance was stronger than the increase recorded by Moroccan merchandise exports as a whole. Total merchandise exports reached approximately $34.5 billion during the first eight months of 2026, up 8.7% from a year earlier. Automotive shipments therefore represented roughly one-third of total merchandise exports during the period.

The sector’s growth was accompanied by an even faster increase in aerospace exports. Aerospace shipments rose 21.5% to approximately $2.37 billion. Aircraft assembly accounted for about $1.63 billion, following a 26.9% increase, while exports of electrical wiring interconnection systems reached roughly $722 million, up 10.9%.

The parallel expansion of automotive and aerospace exports points to continued growth in Morocco’s manufacturing-oriented export base. Both activities depend heavily on international supply chains and foreign demand, while their development provides opportunities for local suppliers to participate in production networks.

Agriculture and food processing remained another major source of export revenue. Exports from the sector increased 8.3% to approximately $6.71 billion during the first eight months of the year. Food-processing exports alone rose 13.6% to about $3.21 billion.

The performance of food processing shows that Morocco’s export base continues to combine manufacturing with agricultural and agri-food activities. The increase in processed food exports is particularly relevant because it allows a larger share of export value to come from processing activities rather than from agricultural products alone.

At the same time, export growth was uneven across sectors. Phosphate and derivative exports declined by 6%, while textile and leather shipments fell 5.6%. Electronics and electrical exports decreased 2.9%.

The weaker performance of these activities partly offset the gains recorded in automotive, aerospace and agri-food exports. Phosphate products remain an important component of Morocco’s external trade, while textiles and leather have long been closely connected to European markets and supply chains.

The contrasting results also show that Morocco’s export growth is increasingly being shaped by differences between sectors. Automotive and aerospace exports are benefiting from expanding manufacturing capacity, while other activities are facing weaker external demand or changing market conditions.

The stronger export performance has nevertheless been accompanied by considerable pressure from imports. During the first eight months of 2026, merchandise imports rose 15.8% to approximately $63.6 billion, substantially faster than exports. This pushed the merchandise trade deficit to roughly $29.1 billion, an increase of 25.4% from a year earlier.

The increase in imports was partly driven by higher energy costs and stronger purchases of industrial inputs. Imports of semi-finished products rose 19.3%, while the energy bill increased 32.6%. Raw-material imports recorded an even sharper increase of 63.3%, and consumer-goods imports grew 10.1%.

This combination of stronger industrial exports and rapidly increasing imports reflects the structure of Morocco’s expanding manufacturing base. Export-oriented factories require imported machinery, raw materials, components and energy, meaning that rising production can generate increases on both sides of the trade account.

The export figures also coincide with stronger revenues from services and tourism. Morocco’s services exports reached approximately $23.6 billion during the first eight months of 2026, while tourism revenues stood at around $10.1 billion. These flows provide additional foreign-currency earnings alongside merchandise exports.

Remittances from Moroccans living abroad also continued to rise, reaching approximately $9.2 billion during the same period, up 9% from a year earlier. Together with tourism and services revenues, these inflows help offset part of the merchandise trade deficit.

Foreign direct investment also recorded stronger net inflows during the period, increasing 65% to approximately $3.54 billion. The increase points to continued foreign investment activity in the Moroccan economy, including sectors connected to manufacturing and export production.

For the automotive sector, the latest export figures show that growth is spread across several layers of production. Manufacturing and wiring each generated more than $4.6 billion in exports during the first eight months, while exterior equipment added nearly $390 million. This structure gives the sector a broad base within Morocco’s industrial exports.

The continued expansion of automotive and aerospace shipments also comes as Morocco seeks to increase the domestic content of its export-oriented manufacturing activities. Greater participation by local suppliers could allow more value to be generated within the country as production expands.

For the remainder of 2026, the performance of the automotive sector will remain closely linked to international vehicle demand, production plans by manufacturers and conditions in European markets, which are particularly important destinations for Moroccan industrial exports. The ability of automotive and aerospace shipments to maintain their current growth rates will also influence the broader trajectory of Morocco’s merchandise exports.

By the end of August, the figures presented a mixed picture: Morocco’s exports were expanding, led by automotive, aerospace and food-related activities, but imports were rising at almost twice the pace of exports. The automotive sector nevertheless stood out as one of the strongest contributors to export growth, with nearly $12 billion in shipments in just eight months and a growth rate well above that of total merchandise exports.