Car production in the UK fell by 9.8 per cent in 2022 with just 775,014 built, the lowest level since 1956 and down 40% on pre-Covid levels.
But the car production figures for 2022 tell a very different story, with production down by 9.8 per cent on 2021 to 775,014, the lowest figure for UK car production since 1956.
Despite some months of growth in 2022, two months of improvements in October and November were followed by a drop of 17.9 per cent in December, although the production of ‘Electric’ cars – BEV, PHEV and HEV – rose to 234,066 for a 30.2 per cent share of the total.
Production also rose for cars destined for the UK, by 9.4 per cent, although this was more than offset by a drop in exports of 14 per cent, especially as exports accounted for almost 80 per cent of production with the biggest export markets the EU – by a country mile – the US and China.
The biggest car maker in the UK in 2022 was Nissan with 238,329 followed by Jaguar Land Rover with 202,788, MINI with 186,762 and Toyota with 130,739. The loss of Hond’a Swindon production accounted for more than £50k of the production fall.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said:
These figures reflect just how tough 2022 was for UK car manufacturing, though we still made more electric vehicles than ever before – high value, cutting edge models, in demand around the world. The potential for this sector to deliver economic growth by building more of these zero emission models is self-evident, however, we must make the right decisions now.
This means shaping a strategy to drive rapid upscaling of UK battery production and the shift to electric vehicles based on the UK automotive sector’s fundamental strengths – a highly skilled and flexible workforce, engineering excellence, technical innovation and productivity levels that are amongst the best in Europe.
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