British car manufacturers had their slowest November in 37 years as the sector struggled to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global supply chains, industry data showed on Thursday.
Car production fell by 28.7% compared with November 2021 to 75,756 units, despite a 53% increase in electric vehicle output, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. It was the fifth consecutive month of decline and represented the worst November performance since 1984.
Some of the fall was due to the permanent closure of a Honda’s car factory in July but SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said the figures were “incredibly worrying” and underscored the severity of the industry’s situation. It the first 11 months of 2021, British car production of just under 800,000 units was down by 433,000 compared with 2019, before the pandemic hit.
“COVID is impacting supply chains massively, causing global shortages – especially of…
