Algeria will cap its car imports to 400,000 units per year, announced the minister of Trade, Amara Benyounès, on 1st July 2015. 

"We will establish, in coordination with the ministry of Industry and Mines, vehicle import licences which should not exceed 400,000 units per year", declared the minister during the debates on the bill on foreign trade presented to the Nation Council (Senate).

The government is trying to reduce the bill for vehicle importation which reached US$7.33 billion in 2013 and US$ 6.4 billion in 2014.

Since the drop in oil prices on the international market, Algeria started dipping into its foreign currency reserves to make up for the deficit in its trade balance. Hydrocarbons represent 95% of Algeria's foreign earnings and contribute 60% to the state budget.