UK factories are expected to produce 860,000 cars this year, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Chief Executive Mike Hawes told reporters at a media briefing.
The projected output is 11% higher than in 2022, which was the worst year for UK car production since 1956, but still lags the 1.5 million or more cars produced in the years before the pandemic. "Looking further ahead, we do want to get back to a million, but that's probably going to take about five years," Hawes said, citing independent forecasts.
"The key thing for us is how competitive are we to grow the industry here, maybe attract new entrants and so forth." While a global semiconductor shortage hammered output in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, subsequent plant closures and manufacturing changes by individual automakers stunted British car production further.