New car production hits lowest level in 66 years

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New car production hits lowest level in 66 years

The number of new cars made in the UK has dropped to its lowest level for 66 years, as firms warn that the country is not doing enough to attract manufacturers.

A struggle to get parts due to Covid and a shortage of semiconductors have hit the industry worldwide, but the UK has also been hit by factory closures.

In all, the UK produced 775,014 cars last year, which was down from 1.3 million before the epidemic, with production falling every year since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

The car industry will start to accelerate again but they say getting to pre-pandemic levels would require major investment and new car makers to come to the UK.

One of the benefits of leaving was the ability to escape the straitjacket of EU state aid rules which limited the amount of support governments could give to favoured industries.

He said that the UK could be in the unviable position of giving less support to key industries before it left the EU.

He said that the UK needed something that shows that the UK is open for business and open for investment. Production figures were also affected by the closure of Honda's factory in Swindon in July 2021 and the closure of Vauxhall Astras at Ellesmere Port since April 2022.

The country had still produced more electric vehicles than ever before, with almost a third now fully-electric or hybrid, according to Mr Hawes, who said the numbers reflected how tough 2022 was for UK car manufacturing.

He warned that the global car industry had already begun investing in electric vehicles and batteries and that the UK had only a few years to act.

He said that we need to be on the front foot to make sure we have a range of measures that attract investment.

He said that the UK was well placed to succeed because of its skilled workforce and engineering expertise, and that the company should accelerate battery production and the shift to electric vehicles.