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• Wed May 28 2025

UK car production falls sharply in April

8 hours ago Share Save Imran Rahman-Jones Business reporter Share Save

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The number of vehicles manufactured in the UK fell sharply last month, as tariffs and the timing of Easter hit production. The 59,203 vehicles made was the lowest April output for more than 70 years, with the exception of 2020, when production effectively stopped during the Covid lockdown. The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said a wider change in the industry as it shifts from petrol cars to electric vehicles (EVs) had also temporarily reduced output. However, new trade deals with the US, EU and India may help boost upcoming production, the industry group said.

The April figure was 16% lower than the same month last year, and 25% lower than March, when numbers were likely to have been boosted by manufacturers shipping more cars to the US before President Trump's tariffs kicked in. The fact that Easter fell in April this year, which meant there were fewer working days, was also a factor, the SMMT said. The lowest April output before that - outside the pandemic - was back in 1952, when 53,517 vehicles were produced. Car production for exports fells by 10.1%, said the SMMT, driven by falls in demand from the UK's biggest export markets the US and EU. The group said the total number of vehicles manufactured in the UK for the first four months of the year was the lowest since 2009.