All seven engine manufacturers here in the UK are hit by the decline
Responding to a knock on effect from a fall in demand for vehicles produced for Europe and Asia, output from engine UK manufacturers has fallen by 7 per cent from 253,347 units to 235,595 during February.
The SMMT, who released the data, lay the blame directly at the door of Brexit. The lack of certainty of the UK’s position with the EU is said to be partly to blame for decline in domestic production.
• UK car manufacturing falls for ninth consecutive month
Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said: “It is shocking that manufacturers are still in the dark over what their international trading situation is going to be in just a matter of weeks”.
This year, so far, is a stark contrast to 2016 when UK engine production was at its highest ever and the outlook for the industry was positive. The SMMT reported domestic demand reached the largest volume on record at 1,124,947 engines for the home market, while engine manufacturing as a whole grew 7.5 per cent to 2,545,608 units.
The UK is currently the second largest engine manufacturing country in Europe, after Germany. Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, BMW, Ford, Nissan, Toyota and Honda all build their own engines here. Just like vehicle production, engines are just as affected when demand falls.
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