{"id":828741,"date":"2025-02-21T13:11:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T19:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/21\/uk-car-sector-fears-for-trump-tariffs-as-output-falls\/"},"modified":"2025-02-21T13:11:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T19:11:56","slug":"uk-car-sector-fears-for-trump-tariffs-as-output-falls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/21\/uk-car-sector-fears-for-trump-tariffs-as-output-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"UK car sector fears for Trump tariffs as output falls"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Almost 80 percent of cars made in the UK last year were exported, mostly to the European Union, according to industry data – Copyright AFP Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s vehicle production slid below one million units last year as the sector transitions to electric cars, an industry body said Thursday as it warned over US President Donald Trump\u2019s tariff threats.<\/p>\n

Factories producing mainly foreign-owned brands, including from Japanese giant Nissan and Indian-owned Jaguar Land Rover, turned out a total 905,233 vehicles, down 11.8 percent on 2023, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.<\/p>\n

\u201cMultiple factors impacted car volumes, with the end of production for some long-running models as factories retooled for EVs, weakness in key global markets, and a slowdown in the transition to electrification amid tough economic conditions,\u201d SMMT added in a statement.<\/p>\n

Output is forecast to decline further this year to 839,000 units before returning to above one million vehicles in 2028, it added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is, however, dependent on global car and van market demand improving, positive economic conditions and greater consumer confidence \u2014 and the delivery of the competitive conditions necessary to ensure zero-emission model launches stay on track,\u201d the SMMT noted.<\/p>\n

Almost 80 percent of cars made in the UK last year were exported, mostly to the European Union, according to its data.<\/p>\n

Production of battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles together declined more than one fifth but still accounted for over one third of total UK output.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Trump tariffs \u2013<\/p>\n

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes expressed confidence in the outlook as long as the sector benefits from \u201cindustrial and trade strategies that deliver the competitive conditions essential for growth amidst an increasingly protectionist global environment\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith new, exciting models and battery production on the horizon, the potential for growth is clear,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The SMMT recently reported that the UK car industry sold a record number of all-electric vehicles in 2024 \u2014 but still fell short of the Labour government\u2019s mandated targets.<\/p>\n

Across the Atlantic, Trump wasted no time in taking aim at electric vehicles following his inauguration last week.<\/p>\n

His executive order on \u201cUnleashing American Energy\u201d included steps to ensure a \u201clevel\u201d playing field for gasoline-powered motors and halt federal funding to build new EV charging stations.<\/p>\n

Hawes expressed concern over potential tariffs imposed on the car sector by Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are concerned\u2026 about rising trade tensions and potential application of tariffs,\u201d he told journalists on the eve of the production report.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we are seeing is increasingly protectionist noises\u2026 In terms of the US, tariffs is Donald Trump\u2019s favourite word.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hawes said the United States was \u201can important market\u201d for luxury vehicles, such as UK-produced Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars.<\/p>\n

While that allowed for \u201ca greater opportunity to absorb any potential tariffs\u2026 we would hope to avoid any\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"AFP\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Almost 80 percent of cars made in the UK last year were exported, mostly to the European Union, according to industry data – Copyright AFP Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV Britain\u2019s vehicle production slid below one million units last year as the sector transitions to electric cars, an industry body said Thursday as it warned over US President<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":828742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[719,23260],"tags":[9848,5456],"class_list":{"0":"post-828741","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fears","8":"category-sector","9":"tag-fears","10":"tag-sector"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}