UK vehicle production fell 17.2% year on year in February in what the industry called an “extremely worrying” decline, as weak export demand and plant restructuring hit output, according to data published on Friday.
The drop came as the sector faced mounting pressure from fresh turmoil in the Middle East and European Union proposals that, it said, could discriminate against UK-made vehicles in a trading relationship worth almost 70 billion pounds a year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.
Total UK vehicle production fell to 68,061 units in February, according to the SMMT, as weak demand in markets outside Europe and plant restructuring hit commercial vehicle and car output.
“Another decline for UK vehicle production and exports is extremely worrying, given these figures pre-date the crisis in the Middle East,” SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said in a statement .
Car output fell 10.7% to 65,885 units, while commercial vehicle production plunged 74% to 2,176 units.
Exports, which account for 80% of total UK vehicle production, fell 11.5% to 53,140 cars and 65.1% to 1,306 commercial vehicles.
Production of battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars also fell 2.8% to 26,629 units, though they accounted for 40.4% of total car output.
(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job and Yadarisa Shabong）
