Automotive News – Early June 2025
Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Small volume, high value: the multi-billion-pound luxury and sports car manufacturers boosting Britain’s exports.
- New SMMT report shows UK’s world-class luxury, high-performance and niche car makers export almost £5bn in high-value products globally every year.
- Sector turns over £5.5bn annually, supporting a 15,000-strong workforce and backed by local supply chain supporting 60,000 additional jobs.
- Quintessentially British brands make everything from hypercars and luxury SUVs to the iconic London electric taxi.
- To keep success on track, industry calls for supportive global regulatory frameworks that recognise small volume manufacturing challenges.
- Aston Martin Vantage Coupe, Bentley Bentayga V8 S, LEVC TXE, Lotus Evija, McLaren 750s, Morgan Supersport
New SMMT report shows UK’s world-class luxury, high-performance and niche car makers export almost £5bn in high-value products globally every year. The sector turns over £5.5bn annually, supporting a 15,000-strong workforce and backed by local supply chain supporting 60,000 additional jobs.
Quintessentially British brands make everything from hypercars and luxury SUVs to the iconic London electric taxi. To keep success on track, industry calls for supportive global regulatory frameworks that recognise small volume manufacturing challenges.
CCM Motorcycles has collapsed into administration. The Bolton-based marque has been manufacturing specialist motorcycles for more than 50 years. The business was founded by Alan Clews, originally as Clews Competition Machines, in 1971 and was based at its factory at Jubilee Works in Bolton.
CCM received a significant investment from Pitalia Capital, the investment business funded by entrepreneur Anil Pitalia, in 2021 to fund “an international growth drive” and initially the team expanded with the ambition of serving “the pent-up demand across Europe and the United States”.
Registrations of electric cars in the UK were up almost 26% year-on-year in May. But while fleet managers have increasing access to affordable light-duty vehicles, e-HGVs continue to come with a significant price differential.
Battery electric vehicle (EV) registrations in the UK’s car sector were up 25.8% in May 2025, compared to May 2024, according to new figures from the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). EVs accounted for almost 22% of the market share during the month. https://www.edie.net/electric-car-sales-surge-but-hgv-fleets-struggle-to-make-ev-switch/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=edie_daily_news_alert_06-06-2025&utm_content=edie_daily_news_alert_06-06-2025+CID_77a0a8d12b9702c5e839bb625ab11651&utm_source=campaign%20monitor&utm_term=Read%20more
UK logistics group Wincanton has taken delivery of its first new electric-powered trucks as it looks to accelerate its commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2040. The 24 vehicles, supplied by DAF, Volvo and Renault, will take to the road this summer, joining the Chippenham-headquartered group’s fleet of more than 6,700 vehicles.
Operating at more than 40 tonnes, they are expected to reduce Wincanton’s CO2 emissions by 2,400 tonnes a year.
As a result, the multi-million-pound project will help the firm lay the foundations for decarbonising its fleet at an even greater scale while gaining valuable insights that will support this transition.
Volvo Construction Equipment is planning to expand its crawler excavator footprint around the world, investing 2,500 MSEK (about £200m) at factories in South Korea, Sweden and North America.
The biggest investment will be at the Changwon factory in South Korea “to secure global volumes and capabilities in Asia”, Volvo said.
For the production of crawler excavators in Europe, Sweden has been selected, and the final decision regarding the location, scope, and timing will be made later in 2025.
