UK car production falls AGAIN in November - down by 28.7%

UK Car Production November 2021

Car production in the UK fell again in November – the fifth month in a row – with just 75,756 built, a fall of 28.7 per cent on 2020.

To no one’s great surprise, ‘Covid and Chips’ continues to dog UK car production, with total UK production in November 2021 down by 28.7 per cent on the same period last year., the worst November figures since 1984.

There is a small crumb of comfort in the figures as they no longer include any production from Honda’s Plant in Swindon which has now ceased production, probably accounting for around 10 per cent of the drop. But it’s still not good.

Car production for the home market stood up better than car production for export, with cars built for the UK down by 18.8 per cent and those built for export down by 30.4 per cent.

Again we see the rise of electric car production – up 52.9 per cent for a market share of 13.7 per cent – although they need taking with a pinch of salt as car makers seem to be prioritising low emission cars for production amid the Chip shortage.

Mike Hawes, SMMT boss, said:

With an increasingly negative economic backdrop, rising inflation and Covid resurgent home and abroad, the circumstances are the toughest in decades. With output massively down for the past five months and likely to continue, maintaining cashflow, especially in the supply chain, is of vital importance. We have to look to government to provide support measures in the same way it is recognising other Covid-impacted sectors.

So far this year, UK car production stands at 797,261, 432,794 fewer than pre-Covid 2019.