UK engine production falls -2.7% in April
- April engine output falls -2.7%, with 126,082 units built.
- Production for UK and overseas markets declines -1.3% and -3.9% respectively.
- 537,355 engines produced this year, down -19.2% on same period in 2021.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “Another month of decline in UK engine output is disappointing but not surprising given the ongoing global supply chain shortages and geopolitical challenges impacting the entire automotive industry. These challenges are holding back recovery at a critical time for the sector as it faces its biggest upheaval in more than a century. To futureproof plants, jobs and livelihoods, we need urgent government action to reduce spiralling business costs and support investment to reskill workers and keep British automotive manufacturing at the forefront of the drive to zero.”
Notes to Editors
Hi-res charts available here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xcfyhw0013n209c/AAAmUUdycil-aD6LTJrVymmba?dl=0
About SMMT and the UK automotive industry
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is one of the largest and most influential trade associations in the UK. It supports the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad, promoting the industry to government, stakeholders and the media.
The automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy, and integral to supporting the delivery of the agendas for levelling up, net zero, advancing global Britain, and the plan for growth. It contributes £60 billion turnover and £12 billion value added to the UK economy, and invests around £3 billion each year in R&D. With more than 155,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and some 800,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 11% of total UK exports with more than 150 countries importing UK produced vehicles, generating more than £73 billion of trade.
More than 30 manufacturers build more than 70 models of vehicle in the UK, supported by more than 2,500 component providers and some of the world’s most skilled engineers. The automotive sector also supports jobs in other key sectors – including advertising, chemicals, finance, logistics and steel. Many of these jobs are outside London and the South-East, with wages that are around 25% higher than the UK average.