UK car production DOWN by 8.4% in August 2024

UK car production fell in August 2024 by 8.4%, with manufacturing for the domestic market down by 19.8% and exports down by 5.9%.

We all know that August is a low car production month as car manufacturers have summer shutdowns and model changeovers, and August 2024 is no different.

In fact, there’s a sense of deja vu about this month’s figures, with car production down by 8.5% in 2024 much like the fall of 10% in August 2023.

But the fall in August 2023 came off the back of six months of production rises, whereas this year the numbers are down for the year so far by 8.4%.

Last year the SMMT said the fall was due to “car manufacturers taking advantage of the summer holiday season to upgrade their plants, this is part of an ongoing commitment to deliver the next generation of electric vehicles, with a record number of these models already being made”.

This year they say “With the traditional summer shutdowns and factories prepping to switch to new models, August was always going to be a quieter month for output. The sector remains optimistic about a return to growth, however, with record levels of investment announced last year”. Sound familiar?

The numbers aren’t great, with car production for the domestic market down by 19.8% and for exports by 5.9%, with half of all exports heading for the EU and the bulk of the rest going to the US, China, Japan and Australia.

Despite the SMMT saying in 2023 that part of the reason for the low numbers in August 2023 being down to “an ongoing commitment to deliver the next generation of electric vehicles, with a record number of these models already being made”, production of electrified cars (BEV, PHEV and Hybrid) fell by 25.9%.