Tunisia aims to transform its automotive industry – largely reliant on European subcontracting – into a genuine
national manufacturing sector.
However, it faces a lack of capital, technological expertise, and, above all, the capacity to move up the value chain.
With nearly 280 companies, some 120,000 jobs (depending on the scope of the analysis), and €3.9 billion in exports projected for 2025, the Tunisian automotive components industry has a significant base.
Wiring harnesses, electronics, technical textiles, and mechanical components are primarily destined for European manufacturers, particularly German and French ones.
However, this reliance on foreign suppliers also constitutes the main weakness of the Tunisian model: the country remains essentially an industrial link serving foreign clients.
A crucial portion of the design, technologies, brands, and therefore the strategic value, remains controlled outside Tunisia. Export performance thus reflects the strength of subcontracting more than the emergence of a truly
independent automotive industry.
It is precisely this obstacle that Tunis now intends to overcome. Dorra Borji, representative of the Ministry of Trade and Export Development, spoke of the ambition to move from manufacturing components to designing, assembling, and marketing vehicles under a Tunisian brand.
But the gap remains considerable. Building components according to the specifications of an international manufacturer does not equate to having the necessary capabilities to develop a complete vehicle.
Research and development, engineering, embedded software, homologation, industrial financing, intellectual property, marketing, and after-sales service are all areas where Tunisia will need to build expertise and mobilise significant capital.
The government’s objectives are nonetheless ambitious: to increase sectoral exports to 13.5 billion dinars by 2027, to create 150,000 direct and indirect jobs, and to attract $300 million in targeted investments in electric mobility, particularly around the “Automotive Smart City” project, starting in 2027.
The risk, however, would be to confuse the growth of subcontracting with industrial transformation. An increase in component exports is not enough to create a national manufacturer.
For Tunis, the decisive battle will therefore be one of execution.
Faced with global groups possessing unparalleled research budgets and industrial capabilities, any potential Tunisian brand will likely have to focus on niche markets – light electric vehicles, urban utility vehicles, or models intended for African markets.
Beyond announcements and prototypes, only one test will ultimately reveal the reality of this ambition: successfully designing, financing, certifying, mass-producing, and sustainably selling a Tunisian vehicle.
MK/AK/Sf/fss/as/APA