Automotive News – Late April 2024

Industry calls for ‘next generation’ incentive and infrastructure plan to decarbonise Britain’s truck fleet.

• Zero emission HGV use trebles in a year – but accounts for just 0.05% of HGVs on the road with end of sale in 2035.
• Massive manufacturer investment means operators can choose from 27 different zero emission trucks – but slow approval process means just two in five models are currently eligible for government grants.
• At the Commercial Vehicle Show 2024, industry calls for fiscal and energy reform to boost operator confidence to switch – and cut CO2 by almost 19 million tonnes a year.

Government should reform its dated Plug-in Truck Grant – introduced eight years ago – to reflect the progress made by the sector in developing new zero emission truck technology and help cut CO2 by 18.8 million tonnes a year, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

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EVs drive down carbon emissions and lift vehicle ownership to record high.

• Number of vehicles on UK roads reaches record 41.4 million in 2023, with car ownership up 1.6% to 35,694,845 units.
• The average car in use saw CO2 emissions decline by -2.1%, notably thanks to incentivised investment by business fleets into EVs.
• One in 40 of all vehicles on roads now zero emission, including 960,896 cars, 61,161 vans, 2,383 HGVs and 1,922 buses.
• Industry calls for more rapid EV infrastructure investment to drive uptake as latest analysis shows just one standard public chargepoint for every 35 plug-ins on the road – a figure almost unchanged from last year.

The number of vehicles on UK roads reached a record high in 2023, rising by 1.7% to 41,404,589 vehicles, according to new Motorparc data published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) – with plug-in vehicles driving the biggest growth in car ownership since 2016.

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Tesla will lay off more than 10% of its global electrical vehicle workforce.

In a memo, first reported by news website Electrek, billionaire owner Elon Musk told staff there was nothing he hated more, “but it must be done”.

The world’s largest auto-maker by market value had 140,473 employees globally as of December, according to its latest annual report.

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Best first quarter for CV production since 2008 despite March drop.

• British CV production records best Q1 since 2008, rising by 27.4% to 32,626 units.
• Export volumes grow 57.9% in first three months, while manufacturing for the UK declines -13.1%.

Growth in January and February followed by -19.2% March decline to 7,943 units

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UK car production falls in March as factories adjust for new models.

• British car production falls -27.1% in March, as manufacturers gear up to make new models, rounding off first quarter with volumes still up 1.1%.
• 59,467 cars leave factories in the month – with volumes for home and overseas markets declining
• -0.3% and -35.9% respectively.
• Latest independent outlook expects UK car and light van production to be around 940,000 in 2024, reflecting multiple model changeovers this year.
• Sector calls for improved UK competitiveness, especially on energy, trade and skills to attract further investment and drive the decarbonisation of manufacturing.

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