Uncertainty stalls UK car manufacturing

Commenting on October’s car manufacturing figures, Justin Benson, Head of Automotive at KPMG UK, said:

“The automotive sector in the UK is at a hiatus. Consumer confidence is on a downward trend and is already at lower levels when compared to the same period last year.

“Both consumers and businesses need more certainty, particularly as it’s likely that we’ll see one or two votes on the Brexit deal next month, so December will be a crucial period. Voting the deal through could release pent up demand and we could see a levelling out or rise in demand for cars. On the other hand, a no-deal scenario would not only reduce consumer confidence further, it will make the UK automotive sector highly uncompetitive in a global market where over 80% of UK output is for export.”