General view of Land Rover cars outside Jaguar Land Rover factory in Hallewood, England on April 7, 2025.
Richard Martin-Roberts | Getty Images News | Getty Images
According to new figures, production of UK vehicles has dropped sharply for the fifth straight month as headwinds include the U.S. president Donald TrumpThe trade policy has severely hit the automotive industry.
data publishing The UK Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found on Friday that production of new and commercial vehicles in the UK fell 32.8% to 49,810 units.
This means that, excluding the 2020 factory shutdown during the Covid-19 lockdown, the UK’s vehicle production reached its lowest level since May 1949.
Last month, goods in the EU and the U.S. fell by 22.5% and 55.4%, respectively.
SMMT said the sharp slowdown in automobile production was largely due to the impact of ongoing model shifts, restructuring and tariffs.
In early April, Trump Implemented 25% tariff on all cars and auto parts imported into the United States – a move that prompts British luxury brands such as Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover Temporarily suspend goods Go to the United States
However, in early May, Trump sign An executive order reduces U.S. companies’ taxes on UK cars payable to 10% of the top 100,000 cars imported each year.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer explain Jaguar Land Rover alone can save hundreds of millions of pounds when reducing car tariffs.
“While 2025 proved to be a very challenging year for UK auto production, there is a bit of optimism about the future,” SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said in a statement.
“Recognizing trade agreements with key markets, especially the United States and the EU, and government strategies for industries and trade, recognizing the key role the industry plays in driving economic growth, which should help recover,” Hoss said.
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The automotive field is Acknowledgement As the engine room for UK international trade. For example, last year of the UK exit £9 billion (US$12.36 billion) of cars entered the United States, accounting for more than 27% of the UK’s total exports.
Total UK auto production so far this year has dropped to 12.9 per cent to 348,226 units from 2024. This means that total automobile production has dropped to its lowest level since 1953.
