Miliband refused to meet motor trade body to discuss zero emissions mandate Transport & Infrastructure Ed Miliband refused to meet the UK motor industry’s largest trade body during his two-year stint as energy secretary, despite the government’s controversial targets for electric vehicle sales falling partly under his department’s purview. Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) boss Mike Hawes said his lobby group’s requests to meet the Labour heavyweight and [...]
Vehicle production drops in first half of year Transport & Infrastructure British car manufacturers produced considerably fewer vehicles in the first six months of this year, according to fresh figures from the industry’s largest trade group which warned that tariffs and domestic policy decisions were weighing on an already struggling sector. Vehicle production fell by 7.5 per cent between January and July compared to the same [...]
Britain set to miss net-zero car targets despite record electric vehicle sales Transport & Infrastructure Britain is set to miss its net-zero emission target for cars despite Electric vehicles (EVs) claiming a record share of the UK new car market in June, fuelled by billions of pounds in discounts. Battery EVs accounted for 30 per cent of all new cars registered last month – the highest monthly share of the [...]
Electric vehicle mandate and tariffs put carmakers ‘at risk’ June 30, 2026 Britain’s ailing car industry could be hollowed out without urgent action to tackle the twin blows of tariffs and the government’s EV mandate, the head of its industry body has warned. Speaking at the SMMT’s annual summit, boss Mike Hawes said that the so-called ZEV mandate – a policy that forces carmakers to sell a [...]
Used EV sales soar as drivers look to curb fuel costs May 12, 2026 Second-hand electric car sales have hit record highs in the first three months of the year, as improving consumer confidence and rising fuel prices pushed more buyers toward used EVs. According to new figures from the Society of Motor Manuacturers and Traders (SMMT), just shy of 87,000 used battery EVs changed hands during that period [...]
Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack hammers UK car production October 24, 2025 The most expensive cyber attack in British history suffered by Jaguar Land Rover contributed to car production being slashed by almost 30 per cent in September, according to new figures. Jaguar Land Rover was forced to halt production for five weeks from 1 September which has been estimated to have cost the UK around £1.9bn. [...]
Why business confidence is all over the place August 12, 2025 Kemi Badenoch looked aghast but Keir Starmer was defiant. Business confidence was at a nine-year high, the prime minister declared in the House of Commons in mid-July. The Conservative Party leader was not having any of it. Neither were many economists and analysts watching from the City. What Starmer claimed was not false, per se. Research [...]
UK new car market stalls as weak consumer confidence bites February 5, 2025 New car registrations fell by 2.5 per cent in January as weak consumer confidence and a tough economic backdrop delivered a fourth consecutive monthly decline. There were 139,345 new vehicle registrations in January, according to the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). New registrations for both private and fleet buyers [...]