After a very low point of 70.7 million light vehicles (LVs) produced in 2020, heavily impacted by the emergent Covid-19 pandemic, worldwide automotive production had been expected to recover significantly in 2021: in February 2021, IHS Markit’s full-year forecast was 80.9 million LVs (+14% vs. 2020) and Faurecia’s assumption was a more cautious 76.6 million (+8% vs. 2020). In the event, worldwide automotive production amounted to only 73.4 million LVs in 2021, up only 3.8% year-on-year.
