UK Car Manufacturing Output Touches Lowest Level Since 1984

Car manufacturing in the UK declined to the lowest level seen in over three decades as a result of the coronavirus pandemic during 2020. According to latest data published by the SMMT, car manufacturing output contracted by 29.3% YoY in 2020 to 920,928 units.

During December 2020, car manufacturing output fell by 2.3% to 71,403 as some companies faced shortage of components and were impacted by border closures. Throughout the last year since March, lockdowns and social distancing norms further restricted manufacturing output in automobile factories, even as demand suffered in the wake of the pandemic and Brexit-related uncertainties.

CEO at SMMT, Mike Hawes, observes, “These figures, the worst in a generation, reflect the devastating impact of the pandemic on UK automotive production, with COVID-19 lockdowns depressing demand, shuttering plants and threatening lives and livelihoods.”

Car production for international buyers contracted by 29.1% in 2020 while domestic output declined by 30.4%. On a slightly positive note, however, more than eight out 10 cars manufactured were exported to overseas markets, with exports continuing to support the automobile sector.