British passenger car production fell by 22.5% in the first half of 2019
- British passenger car (PC) production fell by 22.5% in the first half of 2019, after having already fallen by 8.9% over the whole of 2018, and by 2.9% over the whole of 2017. These poor performances are obviously linked to the uncertainties regarding Brexit.
- The production volume of passenger cars in Great Britain (the production of commercial vehicles having become marginal) has decreased from 1.72 million units in 2016 to 1.67 million in 2017 and 1.52 million in 2018. In the first half of 2019, it was only 650,000 units compared to 830,000 in the first half of 2018.
- At this rate, the production volume for the whole of 2019 could be less than 1.25 million units.
- And the hardest part is yet to come, since Honda announced the closure of its Swindon plant in 2021 and PSA will probably close its Ellesmere Port plant at the same time. In addition, BMW is seriously considering closing its Cowley plant, as the Minis manufactured there can be transferred to plants in Holland and Hungary.
- Toyota still has the possibility to transfer Corolla production to its factories in Turkey and the Czech Republic. Jaguar-Land Rover could transfer part of its production to its new plant in Slovakia.
- There remains the case of Nissan, whose Sunderland plant has divested itself of the production of the Infiniti and the planned X-Trail. This plant is the largest in Britain and its fate is therefore crucial for the future of the British automotive industry.
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