The automotive market staged a significant recovery in 2025, with total sales up 69.9% y-o-y to 173.8 k units, according to figures from the Automotive Marketing Information Council (Amic) seen by EnterpriseAM. The rebound after a punishing two-year slump was driven by a 53.6% increase in bus sales, a 64.4% increase in passenger car sales, and a notable 108.4% increase in truck sales — signaling that corporate Egypt is finally moving to replace aging fleets.

While it was certainly a good year for the market, it was a reality check that our auto localization efforts still have a long way to go. With many of the projects to expand local assembly announced over previous months and years yet to start rolling out vehicles from the factory floor, the growth in auto demand was mostly captured by vehicles imported whole.

Sales of vehicles imported whole rose 12.1 percentage points faster than those assembled locally, with completely-built-up vehicles registering a 77.1% y-o-y growth in sales, while completely knocked-down vehicles clocked in a 65.0% y-o-y increase. But on the plus side, a 65.0% y-o-y increase in sales is still something to note, and hopefully, the total yearly growth in sales is a decent sign to automakers looking to set up shop that there’s a local market looking to buy.

Why this matters: The recovery is real, but it’s a victory for importers, not yet for local industry. While a nearly 70% jump in sales suggests the slump is over, the fact that sales of imported whole vehicles outpaced locally assembled units by 12.1 percentage points proves that Egypt’s localization push is still in the announcement phase rather than the production phase. The data is a reminder that demand is ready, but the local supply chain isn’t yet capturing the value

The more than doubling of truck sales is a sign that the private sector has now decided it’s time to put capital into upgrading fleets, after a tough last few years led companies to put off modernizing ageing fleets, Egyptian Automobile Manufacturers Association Secretary-General Khaled Saad tells EnterpriseAM.

The uptick in passenger car sales towards the end of the year was also notable, with the “final months of last year [seeing] strong growth in passenger car sales supported by a wave of discounts launched by agents and distributors,” Saad noted.

And looking ahead, the uptick looks set to continue, as “a larger percentage of prospective buyers [than in the last part of 2025] postponed their decision until the first quarter of this year to secure the lowest possible price,” Saad tells us.

A caveat to the numbers: Amic figures are sourced from member distributors, representing the bulk — but not the entirety — of the industry.

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