UK car production fell by 20.6% in September, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
It has reported that 70,039 units were produced last month, with output significantly down as factories scale back production of current models and retool lines for all-new zero emission vehicles.
The SMMT also found that 21,309 electrified models were made in September, representing 30.4% of all cars produced despite an overall volume decline of 37% against the same month last year.
Output for domestic and export markets saw almost identical rates of decline, down 20.8% to 18,614 units and 20.6% to 51,425 units respectively.
In the year to date, a 6.5% rise in output for the UK was not enough to offset a 14.4% fall in exports, meaning that overall UK car production is down 10.2% to 592,862 units, since January.
Car production growth
However, growth is expected to return once new models come on stream, with car and light van production forecast to head back above one million units in 2027 and with the potential to surpass 1.3 million by 2030.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “As UK automotive undergoes its most radical transformation in more than a century, short term production declines were always anticipated, and they represent a temporary adjustment in exchange for long term growth.
“Following record investment announcements last year, the sector is ready to build on its position as the UK’s largest exporter of manufactured products. To do so, we need the necessary industrial and market conditions, and the forthcoming Budget and Industrial Strategy must put in place ambitious measures to bolster business confidence, attract investment and secure competitiveness.”
