UK car production falls to the lowest level since 1954

Car production in the UK has fallen almost to its lowest since 1954 last year, with some 779,584 units rolling off British production lines in 2024, 13.9 per cent down on 2023.

- SEAN O'GRADY

Only during the extraordinary conditions of the pandemic and its associated lockdowns was activity at a lower ebb.

It is a confirmation of the frailty of both consumer sentiment at home, and of the weakness of world demand, given that around eight in every 10 cars made in Britain were destined for export.

Sales to the largest overseas market, the European Union, and to China, were down by about a quarter and a fifth respectively. One bright spot was sales to the buoyant American market, up by 38.5 per cent, possibly boosted also, to some degree, by fears of future tariffs.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the industry body, also stressed that the changeover to making electric vehicles has also affected the numbers.

The SMMT points to factories retooling for changeover to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as a temporary reason for the slowdown in the factories.

Jaguar and Nissan are two marques preparing to launch a new generation of electric cars to meet the demands of the zero emission vehicle mandate, which means that sales of new petrol and diesel cars will be reduced to 20 per cent of the market by 2030, with complete phase-out of fossil-fuel powered models, including hybrids, following in 2035.