US EditionVehicle production in the UK falls to 73-year low
UK vehicle production dropped to its lowest since 1952 due to cyberattack, tariffs, and plant closures, with electric vehicles reaching a record 41.7% of output, SMMT reported.
- On Jan. 29, 2026, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said total vehicle production dropped 15.5% to 764,715 units, its lowest level since 1952.
- Amid tariff uncertainty and factory restructuring, a September cyberattack at Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover halted production for six weeks, while Vauxhall's Luton closure and Stellantis consolidation constrained output.
- Car output fell 8% to 717,371 units, while commercial vehicle volumes plunged 62.3% to 47,344 last year, SMMT data show.
- With roughly 78% of cars destined for export, exports declined-7.9% to 555,826 units while December 2025 car production rose 17.7% to 53,003 units, ending four months of decline.
- SMMT expects car production to rise more than 10% to about 790,000 units in 2026, while production of 298,813 BEV/PHEV/HEV units rose 8.3%, Mike Hawes said, "2025 was the toughest year in a generation for UK vehicle manufacturing.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Charleston Gazette-Mail
SMMT - Tough year for UK automotive output but Industrial Strategy now key to recovery
UK CAR AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLE MANUFACTURING (data for December and FY 2025)
The year 2025 will remain in the annals for overseas manufacturers, with an overall volume falling to 764,715 vehicles, a fall of 15.5%. If hopes now rest on the arrival of new electric models and a possible takeover by Chinese investors, the threat of new customs barriers with the European Union is hovering like a sword of Damocles. A British storm that does not end The figures published by the SMMT (the British Manufacturers' Association) conf…
UK Car Production DOWN by 8.2% in 2025 - thanks mainly to Jaguar Land Rover
Car manufacturing in the UK fell by 8.2% in 2025 – the lowest in a decade – due mainly to cyber attacks and tariffs. 2025 was a bit of a torrid year for car manufacturing in the UK, with some particularly poor months, like September down by 27.1% and May down by a whopping 31.5%, […] The post UK Car Production DOWN by 8.2% in 2025 – thanks mainly to Jaguar Land Rover appeared first on Cars UK.
Driving investment in UK commercial vehicle manufacturing
SMMT today published the full year UK commercial vehicle production figures for 2025 showing 47,344 taxis, vans, trucks, buses and coaches left factory lines last year, down -62.3% on the previous year as a result of industry restructures and the closure of two factories. Creating an environment for investment to be made in manufacturing sites is now key for a return to growth. Government’s £4 billion DRIVE35 programme launched as part of its Mo…
UK vehicle production falls to lowest level since 1952
VEHICLE production in the UK fell to its lowest level since 1952 last year, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).A total of 764,715 vehicles were built in 2025, down 15.5 per cent from 2024. Most of these were cars, with 717,371 produced, around 60,000 fewer than the previous year, reported the BBC.Output remains far below recent highs, with 1.7 million cars produced as recently as 2016.SMMT chief execu…
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