UK car output in 2020 ‘worst in a generation’

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UK car output was the ‘worst in a generation’ in 2020 with COVID-19 and Brexit contributing to a 29.3 per cent drop in production.

The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show UK car production down 2.3 per cent in December to 71,403 units, and down to 920,928 units for the year.

Factory output was stymied by COVID-related lockdowns and social distancing measures whilst Brexit uncertainty, a factor until Christmas Eve when the EU/UK trade deal was struck, weakened market demand in key export markets.

SMMT survey reveals £735m cost of Brexit

According to SMMT, production for overseas buyers fell 29.1 per cent to 749,038 units, while output for the UK fell 30.4 per cent to 171,890.

Despite ongoing difficulties, over eight in ten cars were shipped overseas and the EU remained the UK’s biggest export destination with a 53.5 per cent share.

Shipments to the US, Japan and Australia fell by 33.7 per cent, 21.6 per cent and 21.8 per cent respectively. Parts of Asia bucked the downward trend with exports to China going up by 2.3 per cent, and those to South Korea and Taiwan rising by 3.6 per cent and 16.7 per cent respectively.

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