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UK car manufacturing falls by moderate -3.3% in first half of 2018 to 834,402 units as strong exports bolster disappointing domestic demand.
Output for June declines -5.5% as perfect storm of events hits production for the UK, down -47.2%.
Exports rise 6.0% in the month, with 113,152 British-built cars destined for global markets – almost 4,000 every day.

06 July 2018 #Uncategorised

It’s been a turbulent first six months for the UK’s new car market, as half-year registration figures released yesterday by SMMT showed a 6.3% fall since January. In June, registrations were down 3.5%, following rises in April and May, whereas

04 May 2018 #CEO Update #Uncategorised

Reaction to the new car market’s growth in April must be cautious. The 10.4% spike is predominantly caused by buying patterns returning to normal following the change to VED last year which saw purchases pulled forward into an already-busy March, destroying

27 April 2018 #CEO Update #Uncategorised

Yesterday SMMT repeated its call for the UK to remain within a customs union with Europe beyond March 2019, as production news coincided with a House of Commons debate on Britain’s continued membership. As we seek to define our future

25 April 2018 #Uncategorised

Peugeot has its new Boxer Built for Business range at this year’s CV Show, with a Boxer Low Floor Luton model displayed on its stand. The Luton body provides a load floor over 4m long with an interior height of

20 April 2018 #CEO Update #Uncategorised

SMMT’s publication of the latest Motorparc data provided some detailed insights into the vehicles on our roads and who is driving them. There are now 11.5 million superminis and 3.5 million dual purpose vehicles on the road; automatic gearboxes have

13 April 2018 #CEO Update #Uncategorised

  When SMMT set out its Brexit priorities, the need for regulatory alignment was one of the five main pillars. Regulation has become a dirty word in some political circles – its reputation is unwarranted. The rules around manufacturing and

06 April 2018 #CEO Update #Uncategorised

Unhelpful talk of a crash in new car registrations belies the facts. New car registrations were indeed down in March by -15.7%. Two issues are relevant, however. First, March 2017 was a bumper month, the biggest ever in fact, as

21 March 2018 #CEO Update #Uncategorised

In a key speech on Brexit today, the Prime Minister was right to recognise the importance of integrated supply chains and borders free from quotas and tariffs for key sectors such as automotive. Barrier free access to the EU market


SMMT’s January forecast for new car and van registrations in the UK for 2018 and 2019. Forecasts are prepared by SMMT’s Economics Team and are revised on a quarterly basis. Download the latest forecast, here: January 2018.

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