Spain in world top 10 for car manufacturing, ahead of Russia and Canada

Production last year went up by 11% in Spain, more than anywhere else in the European Union, although most vehicles made in factories in the country were exported.

This said, with the 'cash-for-scrap' scheme known as the Plan PIVE - where cars of seven years old or more can be traded in as scrap for a brand-new vehicle and a substantial discount given - has led to a huge boost in national trade in the last three years.

New models of cars handed over to Spain's factories to produce mean the country is fast heading towards its 'Plan 3 Million' target - that of bringing production levels back up to three million vehicles a year by 2017, the level it stood at before the start of the financial crisis.

With Spain in 9th place and Canada 10th, the remainder of the top 10 car manufacturers in the world is made of up China - the largest - followed by the USA, Japan, Germany, South Korea, India, Mexico and Brazil, in that order.

These figures are based upon data released by the International Automobile Construction Organisation (OICA).