Automotive News – Late May 2025
Estimated reading time 3 minutes
UK car and commercial vehicle output falls in April.
- April car manufacturing falls -8.6% while CV production declines -68.6% as later Easter, model changeovers and restructuring constrict output, contributing to lowest start to a year since 2009.
- Car exports decline -10.1% during month of international trading uncertainty, while commercial vehicle exports fall -75.8%.
- New trade deals with EU, US and India provide opportunities for future growth but urgent action needed to bolster UK manufacturing competitiveness.
UK car and commercial vehicle production fell by -15.8% to 59,203 units in April, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Vehicle output fell to the lowest level for the month since 1952, excluding 2020 when the first Covid lockdown effectively saw manufacturing cease. The result caps off the sector’s lowest start to the year since 2009.
The number of vehicles manufactured in the UK fell sharply last month, as US tariffs and the timing of Easter hit production. The 59,203 vehicles made was the lowest April output for more than 70 years, with the exception of 2020, when production effectively stopped during the Covid lockdown.
The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said a wider change in the industry as it shifts from petrol cars to electric vehicles (EVs) had also temporarily reduced output.
Sweden-based car maker Volvo Cars says it will cut around 3,000 jobs as part of its cost-cutting measures. The firm says the layoffs will mainly impact office-based positions in Sweden, representing about 15% of its white-collar workforce.
Last month, Volvo Cars, which is owned by Chinese group Geely Holding, announced an 18 billion Swedish kronor ($1.9bn; £1.4bn) “action plan” shake-up of the business.
Transport for London (TfL) is pressing ahead with plans to stop exempting electric vehicles (EVs) from the capital’s Congestion Charging schemes from January 2026. Instead, a discount will apply from an increased standard price.
Launched in 2003, the congestion charge was the first scheme requiring drivers in Central London to pay a daily charge. As the name implies, it exists to incentivise a reduction in traffic by nudging motorists towards public transport, walking and cycling.
The charge is currently £15 per day, per vehicle – a rate that has applied to individual motorists and to fleet vehicles alike since 2020.
TfL is proposing to increase the charge to £18 per day, per vehicle, from 2 January 2026. The aim is to switch even more journeys to public transport and active transport.
