Automotive
The automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy accounting for more than £82 billion turnover and £20.2 billion value added.
With some 186,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and in excess of 856,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 12.0% of total UK export of goods and invests £3.65 billion each year in automotive R&D.
More than 30 manufacturers build in excess of 70 models of vehicle in the UK supported by 2,500 component providers and some of the world’s most skilled engineers.
A strong UK supply base is fundamental to the future success of the wider automotive industry. The UK is home to over 30 automotive manufacturers, producing cars, vans, trucks, buses and engines – who want to take advantage of increased local sourcing.
18 of the world’s top 20 automotive suppliers operate in the UK and SMMT is committed to driving growth in the supply chain.
UK Automotive Supply Chain
- 78,000 people employed in the UK supply chain
- 41% average UK content in British-built cars – up from 36% since 2011
- 2,500 + automotive suppliers in the UK
- £4.3bn added value generated by UK automotive industry
Data source: SMMT
Automotive Sector Suppliers
3D Metrology Solutions Ltd
3D Tooling Technologies
ABR (Specialist Welding) Ltd
Ad-Vance Engineering
Advanced Tooling Systems UK LTD
Alan Browne Lapping Services
Alphateq Ltd
Ampco Metal Limited
Apex Metrology Ltd
Arthur Jackson & Co Ltd
Avon-Dynamic
BEC Group
Blum Novotest
Boneham & Turner Ltd
Broomfield Carbide Gauges Ltd
Carrs Toolsteel Technologies
Ceratizit UK and Ireland Ltd
CHE Metrology
Constell Engineers Ltd
CyTec Systems UK Ltd
Dayton Progress Ltd
Dudley Associates Ltd
Eley Metrology & Crown Windley
Engel UK Ltd Injection Moulding Machines
Engis (UK) Ltd
Ewikon
Excel Precision
Expert Tooling & Automation Ltd
Faulkner Moulds
Fenton Precision Engineering
Filtermist Limited
Fimark Ltd
GB Precision
Gravutex Eschmann International Ltd
Guhring Limited
Hadleigh Castings Ltd
Hartmetall UK
HEIDENHAIN GB Limited
HT Tooling Solutions
Industrial Physics
Industrial Vision and Metrology Systems Limited
Innovative Measurement Technology Ltd
Insert Moulding from R A Labone
KNOLL UK
KYOCERA SGS Precision Tools Europe Ltd
Langstone Engineering Ltd
Lynar Manufacturing
Manchester Metrology
Mantech Geometrics
MAPAL Limited
MeadeX Rubber Mouldings Ltd
MEC Machine Tools Limited
Metrology UK
Meusburger Georg GmbH & Co KG
Moorland Toolmaking Company Ltd
N.T.G. Precision Engineers
National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
ND Precision Products
Nikon Metrology UK Ltd
Omega Plastics Group
Optimax Imaging Inspection & Measurement
PDQ Engineering Ltd
Pemberton Engineering Ltd
Perfect Bore Manufacturing Ltd
Powdertech Surface Science
Project Innovations Ltd
Quickgrind Carbide Tooling
R-Winter Tooling
REM Systems Ltd
Renishaw Plc
Ringspann Power Transmission
Ringspann Remote Control Systems
Ringspann Work Holding Technology
Robev Engineering Ltd
Robinson Pattern Equipment Ltd
Roemheld UK Limited
Rud Chains Ltd
SGH (Moulds) Ltd
Sharmic Engineering Limited
Sprint Tool and Die Limited
Surtec North East Ltd
T&G Engineering
Tebis (UK) Ltd
Tech-ni-Plant Ltd
Testo Industrial Services Ltd
The 3D Measurement Company Ltd
Thermofax Ltd
Thomas Keating Ltd
Tinius Olsen Ltd
TLM Laser Ltd
Tokai Carbon Europe
Trigabore
TriMech Manufacturing Solutions
Uddeholm Ltd
United Machining
Vericut
Verus Metrology
Vision Engineering Ltd
W.H.Tildesley
Waveney Precision Ltd
WDS Component Ltd
Westfield Patterns
Whiteland Engineering
WS2 Coatings Ltd
Yorkshire Precision Gauges Ltd
Automotive News
Automotive News – Early August 2026
Huge EV boost in July yet mandate gap persists. July new car market rises 11.7% to 156,571 units in best performance since 2019. BEV registrations up 44.5% after subdued July 2025, with demand driven by model choice, heavy discounting and government incentives. Latest industry outlook expects 2.18m new car registrations in 2026 with BEVs claiming…
Automotive News – Late July 2026
Creditors to Aston Martin have appointed investment bank Jefferies as financial adviser amid growing concern that the company could pursue a debt deal that leaves bondholders more vulnerable to losses. Funds led by Arini Capital Management, BlackRock and Sculptor Capital Management hold the majority of Aston Martin’s $1.85bn equivalent of bonds due in 2029. The…
Automotive News – Early July 2026
HGV market down while zero emission uptake holds onto slim share. New heavy goods vehicle registrations fall -14.7% in Q2, with 8,687 trucks joining UK roads. First half demand down -8.9% to 18,158 units with fleet renewal constrained by tough economic conditions. Zero emission HGV uptake edges up 4.7% in Q2 but is down -6.6%…
Automotive News – Late June 2026
Vehicle production up but pressures persist May vehicle output rises 2.7% to 51,178 units in first monthly uplift this year. Car production grows 3.2%, reversing four months of decline, while CV output falls -7.6%. 317,779 vehicles built in first five months, down -8.7%, with three quarters of output exported. Sector urges action on energy costs,…
Automotive News – Early June 2026
Car maker Nissan could soon build vehicles designed by the Chinese company Chery at its UK factory after an agreement was signed between the two firms. Nissan said it will study whether it can build the cars at its Sunderland plant, with a possibility of production starting in 2027. Under the terms of the non-binding…
Automotive News – Late May 2026
Stellantis and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities to collaborate on product development in the United States. It could see the two automotive giants work on developing models for the North American market. JLR currently has no manufacturing capability in the US and has taken a hit…
Automotive News – Early May 2026
The UK new car market grew by 24.0% to reach 149,247 registrations last month, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The increase reflects a rebound from an unusually weak April last year, when buyers pulled purchases forward to March to beat incoming vehicle tax increases, including…
Automotive News – Late April 2026
Car production stabilises but outlook still challenging. UK vehicle production falls -8.2% in March, with 72,511 units leaving factories. Car output steady, down just -0.8%, while CV volumes drop -68.3%. Car production for domestic market grows, as exports decline despite EU demand rising. Sector calls for urgent amendment to EU Industrial Accelerator Act to include…
Automotive News – Early April 2026
Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis is proposing to close its Falkirk plant with the potential loss of 115 jobs. The move comes six months after the Scottish government announced a £4m furlough scheme aimed at saving the company’s operations in Scotland. The scheme was introduced after Alexander Dennis said it was planning to switch production to…
Automotive News – Late March 2026
UK vehicle production fell -17.2% in February, with 68,061 units leaving factories, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Output comprised 65,885 cars (down -10.7%) and 2,176 commercial vehicles (-74.0%) as export demand in markets outside Europe remained weak, model changeovers impacted output and CV volumes…
Automotive News – Early March 2026
Volkswagen has said it will cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as its profits dropped to their lowest level since 2016. Chief executive Oliver Blume told shareholders that the cuts would take place in Germany and fall across the entire group, including Audi and Porsche. Europe’s largest carmaker said post-tax profits had fallen by…
Automotive News – Late February 2026
HGV demand dips in 2025 as nascent ZEV uptake grows. New heavy goods vehicle registrations fall -10.0% to 40,504 units in 2025 as fleet renewal resets. Fewer deliveries across top five segments bar refuse collection vehicles, with some 2,500 entering service. UK’s 1,000th zero emission truck registered as uptake more than doubles – but market…
Automotive News – Early February 2026
New car market starts year with growth but EV share falls. New car market rises 3.4% in January to 144,127 units. Battery electric car volumes rise slightly but lose share compared with last year. New outlook anticipates market to grow 1.4% in 2026, with EV share expected to rise to 28.5%. Sourced from SMMT …
Automotive News – Late January 2026
Based on UK Government-backed proposals, Chinese car brand Chery could start using a Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant in the UK for production of its own cars. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is looking to discuss the proposals during his upcoming visit to China, the Financial Times has reported. Plans involve an agreement for the Chinese…
Automotive News – Early January 2026
Industry discounts for electric vehicles are “unsustainable”, a major motoring group has warned, as the number of new cars registered in the UK exceeded two million last year for the first time since the pandemic. Nearly 500,000 of the new cars sold were electric, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders…
Automotive News – Early November 2025
China has lifted export controls on computer chips vital to car production, the country’s commerce ministry said on Sunday. Exemptions have been granted to exports made by Chinese-owned Nexperia for civilian use, it said, which should help carmakers who had feared production in Europe would be hit. At the same time, China has also paused…
Automotive News – Late October 2025
Luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda has reported a decline in revenues and wider losses for the third quarter of 2025, as weak global demand and ongoing tariff pressures weigh on performance. The Warwickshire manufacturer saw wholesale volumes fall 13% year-on-year to 1,430 vehicles in the three months to 30 September 2025, driving a 27% drop…
Automotive News – Early October 2025
Range Rover production lines in Solihull have resumed, according to car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). About 1,000 employees also started work in the car maker’s Wolverhampton engine plant on Wednesday, it said, marking a “significant moment” on its journey back to full vehicle production. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w5g6683p8o Britain’s drive towards electrification is gaining momentum, but industry…
Automotive News – Late September 2025
It could take months before the benefits of Jaguar Land Rover resuming production filters down to the supply chain, a chamber of commerce said. JLR has said it would resume some production in the “coming days” after a cyber-attack forced the carmaker to suspend operations. At the weekend it emerged the government will underwrite a…
Automotive News – Early September 2025
Five years on from Brexit, UK Automotive remains £115bn trading powerhouse. New SMMT Trade Report sets out UK Automotive’s £115 billion global trading hub status despite the most challenging environment in decades. Sector on course to generate more than £110 billion in trade for third year running, shipping vehicles, parts and components around the world.…
Automotive News – Late August 2025
The UK Government has confirmed that grants supporting sole traders and fleet managers to purchase electric vans and trucks will be extended until at least 2027. The plug-in van and truck grant, which reduces the upfront cost of electric commercial vehicles, currently provides discounts of up to £2,500 for small vans, £5,000 for large vans,…