Fall in car production prompts call for urgent action

New figures today (18 December) from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Retailers (SMMT) showed car production for November was 97,604, down 33.3% and dragging the year-to-date figure down to minus 2.7%. Commercial vehicle production was down 50.2% for the month of November and 2.3% down for the year so far. Combined year-to-date volumes for cars and commercials were down 2.7% with total vehicle exports – which account for 84% of production – down 35.5% and vehicles manufactured for home consumption 50.5% down. SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said the UK motor industry was facing unprecedented challenges and urgent action was now required. “The sector has seen falls in demand, extended plant closures and the first signs of redundancies in the supply chain,” he said. “Without swift action and the ability to access credit and finance, significant damage will be done to the nation’s industrial capability – leaving the UK poorly equipped to take advantage of any global growth when it returns.”