LONDON : The global semiconductor chip shortage will continue to hurt British car sales throughout this year and into 2023 after making a serious dent in vehicle supply in 2021, an industry group said on Thursday.
"Not a great year, coming on the back of an equally poor year," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said, referring to the impact of the chip shortage on sales which crimped a post-pandemic recovery. Prior to the most recent coronavirus surge, the SMMT had forecast UK car sales of 1.96 million units in 2022, below the normal run rate of around 2.3 million units.
PHEVs, which have both a battery and a combustion engine, accounted for 8.9per cent of sales in 2021.