Car industry bemoans lack of support in Budget as number of vehicles built in UK falls for the third month in a row
The car industry bemoaned a lack of support in the Budget as the number of vehicles built in the UK fell for the third month in a row.
A total of 67,169 cars left production lines last month, down by 41.5 per cent on the same time last year, and the worst figure for September since 1982, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
In the slow lane: Output continues to be hit by the global shortage of semiconductors
Output continues to be hit by the global shortage of semiconductors, said the trade body. It said that while the Budget confirmed £817m for the transition in automotive manufacturing and business rate relief on renewable energy, the industry continues to battle against the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said that the Budget ‘missed the opportunity to offer meaningful short-term support’.
Around one in ten automotive firms have made redundancies and/or restructured as a direct result of the lack of semiconductors, said the SMMT.