High hopes after £5bn investment in UK car industry

Against a backdrop of industry decline in 2021, a number of high-profile investments into the UK automotive sector, totalling nearly £5 billion, have given the SMMT reason to be optimistic for 2022. Here are the five largest pledges made last year.

1 WEST MIDLANDS GIGAFACTORY £2.5BN

Coventry City Council and Warwick District Council are seeking further investment in a 530,000m2 EV battery factory at Coventry Airport, targeting an eventual capacity of 60GWH. It could create 6000 jobs and contribute £434m to the local economy.

2 NISSAN SUNDERLAND £1BN

Nissan is to transform its Sunderland plant into a “flagship EV hub”, dramatically upscaling the battery production capacity of partner firm Envision AESC and preparing the main factory to build a Leafreplacing electric crossover from 2024.

3 FORD HALEWOOD £230M

Ford currently builds Fiesta and Focus gearboxes at its Merseyside factory but has committed to transforming it into an EV powertrain plant by 2024. It will produce 250,000 units annually, exporting them to Ford vehicle assembly plants across Europe.

4 STELLANTIS ELLESMERE PORT £100M

The future of Vauxhall’s Astra factory in Cheshire was long in doubt but was finally safeguarded when new parent company Stellantis pledged to build a family of small electric vans and MPVS there. This decision secured around 1000 jobs at the 58-year-old site.

5 GORDON MURRAY GROUP WINDLESHAM £50M

The Gordon Murray Group’s new Surrey headquarters, home initially to production of the T33 supercar, will be “efficient but not showy”. It will host the nascent firm’s sales, manufacturing, heritage and engineering operations, as well as a short shakedown test track.