CEO Update

This week SMMT headed to Brussels, meeting with industry organisations and decision makers to illustrate the impact of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit. It was part of efforts to make sure that negotiators in the EU, as well as in the UK,…

There was a flurry of interest in zero emission vehicles this week, with Cenex-LCV 2018 enjoying record visitor numbers and the prime minister announcing £106m of investment for ULEV research and development. The government has set out its ambitions in…

August might be the second smallest month for new car registrations, but with more than 90,000 new cars joining the road last month it caught the eye as the busiest August since the switch to the current biannual plate change…

    Production figures for July released this week show the myriad factors that can affect manufacturing output – and highlight once again why drawing long-term conclusions based on a monthly snapshot should be avoided. Changes in model cycles, seasonal…

The feel-good factor from a sun and sport-packed July helped go some way to boost new car registrations last month as demand grew, by an albeit moderate 1.2%. Marking the start of the holiday season, July is typically one of…

The fickle nature of monthly snapshot manufacturing figures was brought into focus on Tuesday with news that car output for the UK fell -47% in June. It’s an attention-grabbing number but one should not draw too many conclusions as to…

Positive dialogue between the EU and USA this week resulted in a “new phase” in trading relations between the two economic superpowers. The easing of tensions and talk of working towards zero tariffs and non-tariff barriers is welcome, as is…

At the end of a week where plenty of column inches were devoted to votes, amendments, the risk of ‘no deal’ and strong views from both sides of the Brexit debate, Government’s White Paper on the UK leaving the EU…

A busy week in politics began with upheaval in the cabinet, moved through the publication of Government’s blueprint for the UK’s future relationship with the EU and ends with President Trump’s visit to the UK and his own views on…

SMMT’s International Automotive Summit this week saw the publication of figures which, once again, showed the importance of the motor industry to Britain and its ever improving social and environmental record. The industry’s latest Sustainability Report, the 19th making it…