Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as the logistics battleground
The maritime façade of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has consolidated as the epicenter of a high-intensity logistical standoff over automotive market control across the archipelago. Official port traffic statistics reflect the scale of this strategic activity: in the year-to-date period through May 2026, the Port of Las Palmas handled 75,827 automobiles under a cargo regime—a 6.0% year-on-year decrease compared with 80,698 vehicles in the same period of 2025—while May alone reached 24,010 units versus 23,341 the previous year. By contrast, the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife remains at a relatively low 36,077 units accumulated, underscoring that the race for logistical supremacy in the motor sector is concentrated in Gran Canaria’s quays.
Against this island backdrop, an all-out business battle is being fought between Domingo Alonso Group—the company was the target of what is described as a capital betrayal that has made it vulnerable—and the strategic alliance put together by Boluda and Car Canarias.
Domingo Alonso edges ahead despite the import decline
Looking at the official data, there is one takeaway: Domingo Alonso, despite the drop in imports, is ahead of the lobbying group formed by Boluda and Car Canarias.
Two investment models to dominate the vehicle supply chain
The antagonism reflects diametrically opposed investment models to control the vehicle supply chain. On one side, Domingo Alonso has deployed a massive infrastructure with its smart silo at the La Esfinge quay—an automated six-storey, 90,000-square-metre car terminal that required an investment of €26 million. Built to house 6,000 vehicles, the facility brings together pre-inspection workshops, sheet metal work, painting, and automated refueling systems. This allows the company to do without external operators and optimize direct distribution to dealerships, with an estimated saving of up to €600,000 per year in logistics costs.
On the opposite side, the ‘competitive’ response has come through corporate integration. Boluda Corporación Marítima, using its exclusivity in the stevedoring of vehicles together with Suardiaz at the Port of Las Palmas, has made available 18,000 square metres of its terminal to give Car Canarias a home. The joint alliance brings together three long-standing distribution giants in the Isles that are not in Alonso’s orbit, along with distributors such as Volkswagen, Citroën, Hyundai, Suzuki, BMW, and Seat. With Boluda: Grupo Ari, Toyota Canarias, and Grupo Cabrera Medina (Ciccar)—corporations that control more than 50% of the regional automotive market and account for around two dozen brands. The alliance uses a computerized numeric system and projects vertical growth through a smart building to counter the infrastructural dominance of Domingo Alonso.
Beyond storage: reshaping competition rules in the Canaries
The dispute goes beyond merely storing vehicles and is reshaping the rules of commercial competition in the Canaries. While Domingo Alonso is betting on the financial muscle of its own highly robotized self-contained terminal, the front led by Boluda and Car Canarias is using the advantage of associative scale—uniting historical rivals to reduce manipulation costs at the quay and minimize its carbon footprint without taking on the upfront investment of €26 million. With Tenerife relegated to a secondary role in this segment, the Port of La Luz is confirmed as the decisive battleground, where yard-management efficiency and digitalization will determine the profit margins of the major motor conglomerates across the archipelago.
The post La batalla del motor en el Puerto de Las Palmas: Domingo Alonso gana ya al bloque de Boluda y Car Canarias was first published on canarymaritime.com.
