Car production falls again amid ‘worrying times’ for UK automotive industry
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Britain’s car manufacturing industry suffered another month of decline in October, with 5,000 fewer vehicles made than in the same period last year.
Manufacturing output fell four per cent in October, as 134,752 cars rolled off production lines, driven largely by weak demand in the UK market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
British demand fell 10.7 per cent, while exports fell 2.6 per cent. Car production has now fallen for 16 of the last 17 months.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “Yet another month of falling car production makes these extremely worrying times for the sector.
“Our global competitiveness is under threat, and to safeguard it we need to work closely with the next government to ensure frictionless trade, free of tariffs, with regulatory alignment and continued access to talent in the future.
“This sector is export led, already shipping cars to more than 160 countries, and in a period of unprecedented change a close trading relationship with the EU and preferential trading with all these other markets will be essential to keep automotive in Britain.”