€91 in Morocco, up to €1,778 in France: the labor cost of a car

The disparity appears in a ranking by Oliver Wyman republished on Monday, September 14, by Motor16. The labor cost per vehicle amounts to $106 in Morocco, approximately €91, compared with $1,300 to $2,067 in France, or €1,118 to €1,778.

The comparison does not concern the total cost of producing a car, which notably includes parts, energy, equipment and logistics. It measures only the share corresponding to the work required for its assembly. For this item, a car costs between 12 and 19.5 times more in France than in Morocco.

The kingdom also has a lower cost than Romania, estimated at €235 per vehicle, Mexico (€262), Turkey (€356), China (€514) and Poland (€570).

On Bladi.net : The best-selling car in Europe is made in Morocco

This advantage helps explain the investments made in Morocco by French manufacturers. The country produced 559 645 vehicles in 2024, including 524 467 passenger cars. More than 80% of the automobiles assembled in the kingdom are exported, mainly to Europe.

Renault and Stellantis strengthen their Moroccan plants

Renault has two sites in Morocco. The Tangier plant can produce nearly 380 000 vehicles per year, while the Somaca plant in Casablanca has a capacity of between 100 000 and 120 000 units. Both sites assemble, among others, the Dacia Sandero, Logan and Jogger, as well as the Renault Kardian.

Moroccan production now represents approximately 17% of the Renault Group’s global production. It notably supplies the European market with affordable models, including the Sandero, which remains one of the continent’s best-selling cars.

Stellantis is pursuing the same strategy in Kénitra. The group manufactures the Peugeot 208 there, as well as the Citroën Ami, Opel Rocks-e and Fiat Topolino electric quadricycles. Production of these small vehicles has risen from 20 000 to more than 70 000 units per year.

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The capacity targeted by Stellantis in Kénitra has now reached 535 000 vehicles per year. The Moroccan site is also set to receive new models, further strengthening its role in the group’s industrial organization alongside European plants.

The labor-cost gap does not, however, lead to uniform growth in all exports. In 2025, sales of Moroccan cars to France fell by 25%, while shipments of automotive components increased by 20%. Morocco is thus continuing to gain ground in the French production chain, even as exports of finished vehicles slow.