UK’s car output down for second straight month in April, says industry body

(Reuters) – Britain’s car production fell by 7% year-on-year in April, falling for a second consecutive month, as manufacturers wound down existing models and more plants transitioned to electric vehicle (EV) production, industry data showed on Thursday.

A total of 61,820 cars rolled off production lines in April, compared with 66,527 units in the same period last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. March production volumes were down by 27.1%.

“With a general election in a matter of weeks, the next government must ensure the conditions are right not just for the competitiveness of UK manufacturing, but for the investment required to transition the sector to a net zero future,” SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said.

Electrified vehicles, whether fully electric models, plug-in hybrids or full hybrids, represented 40.5%, up from 37.7%, of all cars produced.

Manufacturers produced a combined 25,031 units of EVs, a modest 0.1% rise on the previous year, the industry body said.

Production of EVs has successively grown as giants like Nissan and Jaguar Land Rover-owner, Tata Motors have poured in billions in the country to ramp up EV plans as it attempts reach net zero by 2050.

Meanwhile, UK car production is down 0.8% on 2023 volumes in the year to date, SMMT added.

(Reporting by Echha Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)