Why buy BRITISH?
1 To give the post-Brexit economy a welcome boost 2 Because there are some superb showroom deals 3 Just look at the variety of cars we make here now!
AFTER a record-breaking 2015, Britain’s car-makers face an uncertain future following the Brexit vote in June. Last year saw Britain’s factories produce 1.59million cars – the highest number since 2005. Exports also hit an all-time high at 1.2million, or more than 75 per cent of production, beating the figures posted in the heyday of the British car industry in the 1960s and early 1970s.
The growth was driven by strong demand for our cars in the European Union, which swelled enough to offset faltering demand in China and Russia. The EU bought 57.5 per cent of the UK’s car exports.
For the factories built here by Japanese car-makers to supply Europe, such as Nissan’s Sunderland plant and Toyota’s site in Derbyshire, the reliance on the EU was far higher at about 75 per cent.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), the body representing the UK’s car-makers, had strongly advocated remaining in the EU. While Britain’s exports to the EU won’t be affected in the short term, analysts say global car-makers are less likely to decide to build new models here until the Government has concluded trade agreements with all our major trading partners.
If a British factory loses the chance to build a new model here, it can have a serious impact on the plant’s long-term viability. A recent report by analysts PA Consulting identified Nissan, Toyota and Honda’s UK sites as being the most vulnerable to the effects of Brexit.
Slowing domestic growth will also hit the car industry. The SMMT has already reported that the market is ‘showing signs of cooling’.
But falling consumer confidence can provide buyers with an opportunity to get a better deal in the showroom. And new-car buyers can demonstrate their support for British workers by choosing a model that’s built in the UK.
The recent growth of the car industry here means a huge variety of cars are now made in Britain – including some that might surprise you.
PLANT: NISSAN SUNDERLAND Output: 500,000 Star car: Infiniti QX30
SINCE it opened in the 1980s, Nissan’s Sunderland plant has been a huge success, setting new records for productivity. The Qashqai crossover is easily its most important model, but the decision by Nissan’s global bosses to build its luxury Infiniti models at Sunderland too was a real show of confidence in its workers’ high standards. It was also the first major new model to be made in the UK for nearly a quarter of a century. The Infiniti Q30 hatch is already on sale, and the QX30 crossover hits the market later this year. The all-electric Nissan Leaf is also built in Sunderland, alongside the Juke crossover and Note mini-MPV.
PLANT: JAGUAR LAND ROVER CASTLE BROMWICH, SOLIHULL, HALEWOOD Output: 500,000 Star car: Jaguar XE
FUELLED largely by spectacular growth for its Land Rover SUVs in China, JLR has seen the output of its
three UK factories skyrocket in recent years: hard to believe it was considering closing one in the last financial crisis. JLR has recently opened plants in China and Brazil to help satisfy demand, but the output of its UK factories is still expected to grow, and the company has just invested half a billion pounds in its all-new Engine Manufacturing Centre in the Midlands. Star car is the Jaguar XE, a bold attempt to take on the hugely popular small executive saloons from German makers, led by the BMW 3 Series.
PLANT: TOYOTA BURNASTON Output: 170,000 Star car: Auris Hybrid
THE Toyota Auris Hybrid is a standard-looking hatchback from a Japanese car-maker with an eco-friendly hybrid powerplant. It’s exactly the kind of vehicle you would expect to be made in Japan – but in fact it’s built at Burnaston in Derbyshire.
Together with its engine plant in Deeside, Toyota has invested in excess of £2billion in its UK manufacturing operations. Workers at Burnaston also build the standard Auris, the Auris Touring Sports estate and the bigger Avensis.