UK car and commercial vehicle production fell by -15.8% to 59,203 units in April, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Vehicle output fell to the lowest level for the month since 1952, excluding 2020 when manufacturing ceased during the first Covid lockdown.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “With automotive manufacturing experiencing its toughest start to the year since 2009, urgent action is needed to boost domestic demand and our international competitiveness.
“Government has recognised automotive manufacturing’s critical role in driving the UK economy, having successfully negotiated improved trading conditions for the sector with the US, EU and India in the space of a month.
“To take advantage of these trading opportunities we must secure additional investment which will depend on the competitiveness and confidence that can be provided by a comprehensive and innovative long-term industrial strategy. Get this right and the jobs, economic growth and decarbonisation will flow across the UK.”
The decline in car output can be attributed to the later timing of Easter (fewer production days), model changeovers and lower demand in key export markets.
Car production fell -8.6% to 56,534 units while commercial vehicle output declined by 68.6% to 2,669 units. Commercial vehicle output decline can be attributed to a plant closure and normalising demand for new HGVs following robust post-pandemic growth.
Car production for export fell -10.1%, while production for the domestic market also decreased, by -3.3%.
Shipments to the EU and US, fell by -19.1% and -2.7% respectively. The EU still took more than half of all exports while the US received 16.5%.
Exports to China and Turkey rose by 44.0% and 31.2% respectively.
Commercial vehicle export volumes fell by -75.8% with 50.7% of output heading overseas.
The decline was driven by a -78.9% drop in shipments to the EU, but the bloc retained 84.9% share of exports. CV output for the domestic market fell 54.6%.
The SMMT urges the UK Government to boost the competitiveness of Britain’s most valuable export sector.