Headline turnover estimates are based on official estimates from the Annual Business Survey. The national champion, BLMC (British Leyland from 1968), was handicapped in its attempts to modernise by internal rivalries. That means driving down the high cost of UK energy, reforming business rates and vigorously promoting Britain globally to secure the investments essential to a zero carbon automotive future.. 02 June 2023 at 08:00 By: James Fossdyke UK commercial vehicle production enjoyed its best April since 2010 last month, with more than 10,500 new vehicles built on these shores. Canada, Mexico and Israel rounded off the top 10 markets for UK car exports last month, with only those to Canada down, by 111 units. [1], In 2018 the UK automotive manufacturing sector had a turnover of 82billion, generated 18.6billion in value to the UK economy and produced around 1.5million passenger vehicles and 85,000 commercial vehicles. Reliant, UK car production slumped to its lowest level since 1984 last year amid UK new car registrations fell by 44.4% in March 2020, recorded a 10-year high in car production in 2015, a decline in the UK new car market in 2018, comparison of motor vehicle manufacturing output statistics, UK: 1997 to 2019 article, global gross domestic product (GDP) growth, slowdown in demand for UK-produced motor vehicles from China, the slowdown in motor vehicle manufacturing continued to worsen in 2019, decline in demand for diesel cars in the UK, Annual Acquisitions and Disposals of Capital Assets Survey, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development UK business confidence index. British Leyland finished production of its MG and Triumph sports cars early in the decade, with no replacement. At 63.6%, the EU took the largest share of exported cars, (39,172 units), as shipments rose 4.9%, while those to the next biggest markets, the US and China declined by 4.1% and 8.3% respectively. Standard, [16], In 1932, the UK overtook France to become Europe's largest car producer (a position which it retained until 1955). Over 300 attendeesalready registered forCompany Car in Actionin the first week of registration opening! The overall rise in total industry employment is reflected in the average levels of employment per firm, which has risen consistently in every year between 2008 and 2018 (Figure 10). In particular, during periods of economic uncertainty when consumer confidence is low, households are more likely to hold off purchases of expensive items such as cars as they build up their precautionary savings and focus their expenditure on essential items such as food and clothing. [64] In an interview with Reuters in the same month, Carl-Peter Forster, the Chief Executive of Tata Motors, revealed that Jaguar Land Rover would be investing over 5billion in product development over the succeeding five years. Throughout the past decade, levels of business investment in the UK economy have been particularly exposed to changes in the wider macroeconomy. Annex A provides full details on the surveys, data and methods used to produce this analysis. [126], In 2019, the best selling car model in the UK was Ford Fiesta followed by Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.[127]. [1] The UK has a significant presence in auto racing and the UK motorsport industry currently employs around 38,500 people, comprises around 4,500 companies and has an annual turnover of around 6billion.[3]. Youve accepted all cookies. It was the fifth consecutive decrease as global vehicle manufacturers continue to be dogged by component supply issues, particularly related to semiconductors. The Rover P6, launched in 1963 and the first winner of the European Car of the Year award, was arguably the most popular luxury model in the UK during the 1960s. In 1893 he formed The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited for his various Daimler-related enterprises. With the second-highest gross value added of all the manufacturing industries at 16.35 billion, the industry had an estimated turnover in excess of 77.8 billion in 2018. The Daihatsu Compagno was the first Japanese car to be sold in Britain when imports began during 1964. The city of Coventry suffered particularly badly, with many thousands becoming unemployed after the closure of the Triumph car factory in the city in 1980. Armstrong Siddeley, As in most other developed countries, the 1970s saw major changes to the cars produced in the UK. [38], The closure of Vauxhall's Luton car assembly plant in March 2003 left Ellesmere Port as the sole Vauxhall assembly plant remaining in the UK. It was followed shortly afterwards by Nissan (which used the Datsun brand for the UK market) and Mazda. Increased overseas competition and high unit costs led to lowered profits, which in turn jeopardised investment plans. Honda has already left Britain, closing its Swindon factory, which put a permanent dent in UK production numbers. [21]Renault of France had actually built UK market versions of its cars at a site in Acton, West London, from 1902 until 1962, but its popularity actually increased after the end of UK production, helped by the arrival of the Renault 4 minicar in 1961 and the world's first production hatchback model, the Renault 16, in 1965. [122] As of June 2021, Sytner Group is the largest with a turnover of 4.92 billion. Motor vehicle manufacturing employment has risen over the decade, yet remains low by historical standards, with employment becoming increasingly concentrated in the West Midlands. Three months later, the firm's assets were purchased by another Chinese carmaker Nanjing Automobile and Longbridge partially re-opened over the summer of 2007 with an initial workforce of around 250 preparing to restart production of the MG TF which was relaunched in August 2008. 02 June 2023 at 08:00. Napier, Car production in the United Kingdom (UK) 2021, by model. To further explore the relationship between investment and employment, Figure 11 shows the weighted percentage of turnover invested (right-hand side) alongside the average employment per firm (left-hand side). [36] Volkswagen Group won the auction with a bid of US$780 million, but Rolls-Royce plc, which had the right to block a transfer of the Rolls-Royce name to non-British owners, agreed to sell the rights to BMW for US$65 million. The increased environmental awareness and the reaction of the industry to such issues - which has negatively affected the demand for diesel cars - may also partially explain the loss in momentum in more recent years. Fleet News offers a range of digital news and insight products, from newslettersto special reports. [34] Production of the new small Jaguar, the X type, started at Halewood in late 2000. [citation needed] During the 1990s, production of the 306 and 206 also began at Ryton. By: James Fossdyke. An example of this is the decline in expenditure on vehicles between 2009 and 2011 - a period in which consumer confidence was relatively low - and the subsequent rise in expenditure on vehicles between 2012 and 2016 during which consumer confidence grew. In 1939, the top producers were Morris: 27%, Austin: 24%, Ford: 15%, Standard (founded in Coventry in 1903): 13%, Rootes (which had acquired Humber and Sunbeam): 11%, Vauxhall (building cars since 1903, acquired by GM in 1925): 10%.[16]. The Russian-built Lada, first sold in the UK in 1974, also sold well, despite its outdated Fiat-sourced design; with buyers mostly being attracted by its low price. Vanden Plas, The broadly flat picture in 2018 - the weakest annual growth in output since 2009 - represented a significant loss in industry momentum. In 1974, both BLMC and Chrysler UK appealed to the UK Government for financial help. Ford had switched Capri and Granada production to Germany by this stage, while production of its new Fiesta supermini was divided between Britain, West Germany and a new plant in Spain from its 1976 launch. However, despite rising turnover in recent years, motor vehicle manufacturers have reduced the proportion of their annual turnover that they put towards investment, likely reflecting increased uncertainty in the industry. During this period, firms chose to hire more labour and spend less of their turnover on capital and machinery. Peugeot also developed a saloon version of the Alpine called the Solara, and also launched the larger Tagora, which had been in development by Chrysler when it sold its European operations. Although UK politics changed in 1979 with the election of the Conservative Party, the UK Government continued to support BL with funds for the development of a new mass-market model range (Mini Metro, Maestro, Montego and another Honda collaboration the Rover 800), which were all launched between 1980 and 1986. [81], In March 2021, Aston Martin announced that their electric sports models would be manufactured at their car plant in Gaydon, Warwickshire. [28] The takeover meant that, for the first time in 112 years, the United Kingdom no longer had a British-owned volume car maker. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. By 1968, UK motor vehicle production was dominated by four companies: BLMC, Chrysler (UK), Ford, and Vauxhall (GM). Honda was also enjoying great success on the motorcycle market by this stage, although it didn't start importing passenger cars to the UK until 1972.[25]. Sterling, [4] Since the early 1990s, many British car marques have been acquired by foreign companies including BMW (Mini and Rolls-Royce), SAIC (MG), Tata (Jaguar and Land Rover) and Volkswagen Group (Bentley). Businesses that invested more than the industry average produced two-thirds of total UK motor vehicle manufacturing output between 2008 and 2018. Its arrival on the UK market less than a decade after the end of World War II was met with hostility, with many examples being vandalised soon after being distributed, but it quickly became popular, with nearly 10,000 being sold in 1959. [13] Under this regulation, light locomotives (those vehicles under 3tons unladen weight) were exempt from the previous restrictions, and a higher speed limit 14mph (23km/h) was set for them. Jowett, Despite the effective nationalisation of BLMC as British Leyland (BL) in 1975, the recovery never happened. Production of MG sports cars finished when the Abingdon factory closed in 1980, although the brand was quickly revived on higher performance versions of the Metro, Maestro and Montego. The decade also saw a fall in demand for sports cars, perhaps due to the rising popularity of "hot hatchbacks" (high performance versions of hatchback cars), and so a number of manufacturers pulled out of the sports car market. The affordable sports car market enjoyed a revival in the 1990s after going into virtual hibernation in the 1980s. The MK2 Astra was voted European Car of the Year shortly after its launch in 1984, as was the flagship MK2 Carlton (Opel Omega on the continent) two years later. Famous and iconic British cars include the Aston Martin DB5, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Bentley 4 Litre, Jaguar E-Type, Land Rover Defender, Lotus Esprit, McLaren F1, MGB, original two-door Mini, Range Rover, Rolls-Royce Phantom III and Rover P5. Zastava's Yugo-badged cars, based on Fiat designs from the 1970s, also sold reasonably well in Britain during the 1980s, but the carmaker was forced to halt imports in 1992 due to sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia as a result of the civil war there. The slowdown in growth has also coincided with an easing in global gross domestic product (GDP) growth, which may partially explain the slowdown in demand for UK-produced motor vehicles from China, one of the UK's main motor vehicle export markets. In 1937, the UK provided 15% of world vehicle exports. During the Second World War, car production in the UK gave way to commercial and military vehicle production, and many motor vehicle plants were converted to aircraft and aero engine production. Manufacture of motor vehicles enterprises in the UK in 2022, by turnover Prices as of 16 June 1951, Possibly the first British production car, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Automotive industry in the United Kingdom, List of current automobile manufacturers by country, "Search for a trade mark by owner: 48 marks owned by Bentley Motors Limited", "Search for a trade mark by owner: 56 marks owned by McLaren Automotive Limited", "Search for a trade mark by owner: Your search found 37 marks owned by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited", "Search for a trade mark by owner: 95 marks owned by Vauxhall Motors Limited", Bridgwater Blake Museum, Timeline, page 12, "New Engine Company Ltd Acton, London 19051921". [63], In May 2011, Aston Martin Lagonda confirmed that it was planning to revive the Lagonda marque, with the launch of two or three new models. [60] In May 2011 Jaguar unveiled plans to build the C-X75 petrol-electric hybrid supercar in the UK from 2013, with production to be in association with Williams Grand Prix Engineering;[61][62] Jaguar announced the cancellation of the project in December 2012 due to the ongoing global economic crisis. [78], The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures show a total of 2.31 million new cars were registered in 2019, down 2.4% from the year before. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve our services. [citation needed] Toyota opened a new plant in Burnaston near Derby at the beginning of 1992. The motor vehicle manufacturing industry is a vital part of the UK economy. For headline industry employment estimates, such as that seen in Figure 9, data are sourced from the BRES, which feeds directly into publications such as Employees in the UK. Because advanced packaging offers a higher-value opportunity than traditional This was probably the first all-British car and Stephens set up a production line, manufacturing in all, twelve vehicles, including four- and six-seater cars and hackneys, and nine-seater buses. Domestic and export contribution splits are based on official published Monthly Business Survey turnover estimates. The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Caterham Cars, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lister Cars, Lotus, McLaren, Mini, MOKE, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. However, during periods when industry output growth was considerably lower - such as between 2016 and 2018 - a negative correlation was evident between the average employment per firm and the percentage of turnover invested in capital. SC492037, The Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine Company, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, "The UK Automotive Industries Status, Economic Recovery and Expectations", "Aston Martin DB5 named the most iconic British car of all time", "Nanjing Auto Rolls Out First 'Made-in-China' MG Cars", "The early years of the automobile in Britain", Renault in the UK | Discover Renault | Renault UK, Peugeot 504 - Classic Car Review | Honest John, Daihatsu Compagno - Classic Car Review | Honest John, Toyota celebrates 50 years in the UK - Toyota, "The Rover Takeover: Car-making tradition dies with BMW deal: The Industry: End of British-owned volume production", "BMW Will Shed Rover, Selling Sport Utility Vehicle Line to Ford", "Ford plans to acquire Aston Martin maker", "Gentlemen, Merge Your Manufacturers; Consolidation Hits on Virtually All Cylinders", "The New Rolls-Royce; An Automotive Classic Coming to Dealerships in 2003", "Ford to Close British Plant, Laying Off 1,900 Workers", "Ford invests 169m at Dagenham engine plant", "Ford Increases Expectations for Revenue", "Phoenix drops plans to develop new car models with Proton", "Peugeot to close Ryton with 2,300 job losses", "Ford Sells Land Rover and Jaguar to Tata", "Spyker relocates from Holland to Coventry", "Dutch car-maker Spyker Cars begins UK production", "McLaren unveil supercar to take on Ferrari", "McLaren to build 150,000 12C supercar in Britain", "Paris Motor Show 2010: five new models from Lotus", "Renault F1 team to be renamed Lotus Renault GP in 2011", "Mini Paceman Concept Confirmed for Production", "Jaguar announces 2bn supply contracts for Evoque model", "Jaguar plans UK expansion set to create 1,000 jobs", "New MG Sports Rolls Out of Longbridge Plant", "Jaguar to build 700,000 hybrid supercar with Williams", "Jaguar's hybrid supercar to enter production", "Aston to launch 'two or three Lagonda models' Bez", "Tata's Jaguar Land Rover seeks China auto partner", "Nissan to build new Qashqai in Britain, saving 6,000 jobs", "Nissan to invest US$315million in UK Qashqai update", "BMW Plans to Invest 500 Million Pounds for Mini Assembly", "BMW to invest 500 million in UK on new Mini", "Tata's Jaguar Land Rover picks UK for new plant", "Jaguar Land Rover confirms new UK plant", "New Jensen Interceptor to be built in Britain", "Toyota announces 1,500 new jobs for Burnaston factory", "100m investment boost for Warwick University", "University of Warwick 100m car centre 'will secure jobs', "New car registrations at lowest level since 2013", "Ford Transit Custom VAN is Britain's third best-selling vehicle", "Honda to close Swindon plant by 2021 with loss of 3,500 jobs", "Aston Martin's electric sports models to be made at Gaydon plant", "Aston Martin announces new shareholders", "UK Automotive Industry in 2004: Eighth Report of Session 200304", "17-year high for British car manufacturing as global demand hits record levels", "Rolls-Royce hits new sales record on Asian demand", "UK car manufacturing achieves all-time record exports in 2012", "UK car manufacturing hits six-year high", "Weak demand hampers 2013 CV manufacturing", "UK car manufacturing defies export challenges with year of growth", "CV manufacturing returns to growth in December", "Best year in a decade for British car manufacturing as exports reach record high", "Commercial vehicle production rises by a third in 2015", "European exports fuel commercial vehicle production in 2016", "Revealed: Jaguar Land Rover's new design and engineering centre", "Motor manufacturing industry moves up a gear", "Honda Factory to Be Based in Milton Keynes", "MT Top 200 sees dealers driving consolidation", "British cars? [citation needed], Honda's venture with Austin Rover/Rover Group saw a number of different designs shared between the two marques. It did, however, continue to offer the German-built Opel Manta to British buyers until the end of production in 1988, replacing it with the Calibra (also built in Germany) a year later. By the late-1980s, with the four-wheel drive Niva and a front-wheel drive hatchback, the Samara, complementing the long-running Riva, Lada sales in Britain had amounted to more than 30,000 a year (some 1.5% of the new car market), but tailed off after 1990 as a result of growing competition and a lack of new model launches. WebRT @RussInCheshire: "which is why I'm an MP in a party that cut farm subsidies, These data feed directly into UK Index of Production and gross domestic product (GDP) estimates. The MK2 Cavalier was launched in 1981, and became the company's best selling car of the decade. WebRT @RussInCheshire: "which is why I'm an MP in a party that cut farm subsidies, reduced the availability of agricultural workers, made food exports harder, sold off electricity, steel and car production, and ignored ceramic manufacturer warnings about Brexit hurting their industry". The average levels of employment per firm increased notably between 2008 and 2018, with industry employment becoming increasingly concentrated in the West Midlands. In May 2000 Ford announced that passenger car assembly as its Ford Dagenham plant would cease in 2002, ending 90 years of Ford passenger car assembly in the UK. In 1901, backed by (Vickers Limited) brothers 'Colonel Tom' and Albert Vickers, Austin started what became Wolseley Motors in Birmingham and was the UK's largest car manufacturer until Ford overtook them in 1913.[15]. However, in recent years the industry has showed some signs of losing momentum, with growth in all three of the main indicators analysed in this article beginning to plateau. It should be noted that the analysis used in this article does not include the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the UK motor vehicle manufacturing industry. Skoda also enjoyed similarly decent sales of its well-priced rear-engined saloon cars during the 1970s and 1980s, going from strength to strength in the 1990s following its takeover by Volkswagen and the launch of new model ranges with modern technology and styling. The UK interests were renamed Peugeot-Talbot, with production of the Chrysler-developed cars continuing, with the last Rootes-developed car, the Avenger, being discontinued in 1981. London CNN UK car manufacturing hit a 66-year low in 2022, as the Liquidation of OVIK Crossway/Claremont Engineering Ltd. "Sports car firm in liquidation following dispute with Jaguar Land Rover", Automobile manufacturers of the United Kingdom, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, History of the internal combustion engine, Association for Standardisation of Automation and Measuring Systems, European Automobile Manufacturers Association, Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_car_manufacturers_of_the_United_Kingdom&oldid=1156721924, Economy of the United Kingdom-related lists, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2019, All Wikipedia articles needing clarification, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 May 2023, at 08:11. By the mid-1980s, front-wheel drive was now the standard on mass market cars, with most new models having a hatchback bodystyle as at least an option. Both of these surveys collect data on net investment in the UK. Subscribe to Fleet News' digital products, Receive our digital content, products and services emails andinformation about our events. It was the third consecutive year of decline, and the SMMT expects that trend to continue in 2020. Labour-intensive methods, and wide model ranges hindered opportunities to reduce manufacturing costs the UK's unit costs were higher than those of their major Japanese, European and American competitors. Range Rover production is pictured in Solihull, England. [20] Standard-Triumph's attempts to reduce costs by embracing a modern volume production strategy almost led to their bankruptcy in 1960, the result was that they were purchased by the commercial vehicle manufacturing company Leyland Motors. The Financial Times has forecast that annual UK vehicle production will exceed its historic peak level (achieved in 1972) by 2017. Businesses who invested higher levels of their total turnover in capital and machinery contributed a disproportionately large share of total motor vehicle manufacturing output between 2008 and 2018 (Figure 4). The more pronounced impact of the global economic downturn on UK motor vehicle manufacturing output relative to other manufacturing industries may partially reflect increased exposure to a number of global factors, including highly integrated supply chains, and an increasing reliance on export markets. Exportsincreased by 6.6% and represented almost eight in 10 cars made. [65], In June, Nissan announced that the replacement for its Qashqai model would be designed and built in the UK, in a total investment of 192million safeguarding around 6,000 jobs. 02 June 2023 at 08:00. By 1922, there were 183 motor companies in the UK, and by 1929, following the slump years, there were 58 companies remaining. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) latest Sustainability Report shows that automotive production and the supply chain emitted 81,095 fewer tonnes of CO2 in 2021 compared This includes a variety of different data sources, all of which feed into a range of different Office for National Statistics publications. [36] It was subsequently agreed that control of the Rolls-Royce marque would pass from Volkswagen to BMW in 2003.[36]. The Honda, Nissan and Toyota models made in the UK", "Focus2move| UK Best Selling Car - the top in 2019", The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, History of the internal combustion engine, Association for Standardisation of Automation and Measuring Systems, European Automobile Manufacturers Association, Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, Glasgow International Financial Services District, Science and technology in the United Kingdom, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, DESG (Defence Engineering and Science Group), Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, List of UK government scientific research institutes, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, British Society for the Philosophy of Science, Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Automotive_industry_in_the_United_Kingdom&oldid=1155700785, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2008, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2015, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2014, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Nissan Technical Centre Europe, Cranfield, This page was last edited on 19 May 2023, at 09:40. We would like to use cookies to collect information about how you use ons.gov.uk. The average turnover invested estimates are weighted by each firms contribution to total investment in each calendar year. In 2008, motor vehicle manufacturers had an average total employment of 106; following the consistent increases over the 10-year period average employment has risen to 253. This includes self-employed workers providing they are registered for VAT or Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) schemes. [37] At the same time Ford announced that it would invest US$500million in the expansion of a diesel engine factory at the site, making Dagenham its largest diesel engine center worldwide and creating about 500 new jobs to offset the 1,900 lost in vehicle assembly for a total loss of 1,400. The Morris Ital's successor, the Montego, was sold under the Austin and MG brands, while the Triumph Acclaim's successor was sold as the Rover 200 Series. In particular, industry output has slowed considerably since the end of 2016, with the latest official estimates showing that industry output fell in 2019. However, the expenditure of the remaining industries across the other categories is relatively more dispersed, with the capital investment in areas such as computers and telecommunications equipment and transport and assets notably higher compared with the motor vehicle manufacturing sector. British car manufacturing made further gains in April, with output increasing for the third month in a row, up 9.9%, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The Annual Acquisitions and Disposals of Capital Assets Survey - which collects a detailed breakdown of capital expenditure - provides some insight into the areas that firms invested in between 2014 and 2018. Register todayand don't miss this opportunity to join hundreds of fleet decision makers live and in-person. [35], In 1998 Vickers plc put Rolls-Royce Motors, including Bentley, up for auction. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said Thursday that U.K. manufacturers built just 53,438 vehicles in July, marking a 37.6% drop on July 2020. This situation remained until the mid-1950s, by which time the American industry production had caught up with American demand, and European production was recovering. General Motors had already adopted this bodystyle with the Vauxhall Chevette (which was also available as a saloon or estate) and Ford with the Fiesta. estimated to employ hundreds of thousands more (PDF, 3.97MB). Unattractive new products (particularly the Austin Allegro and Morris Marina) which were widely criticised by the motoring press, retention of legacy marques and models, labour disputes, quality issues, supplier problems and inefficient use of new equipment thwarted the dream of efficient high volume production. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. This pent-up demand would then materialise during an economic recovery as consumers feel more confident and are more willing to commit to purchasing big-ticket items such as cars. Contributions may not sum exactly because of rounding. Inter-Departmental Business Register employment data have also been used in this publication in some of the underlying analysis, such as to create employment size-bands, as seen in Figure 6. Nissan had axed the Datsun brand by 1984 and used its own name on all cars, and in 1986 opened a factory in Britain near Sunderland, which produced the mid-range Bluebird hatchbacks and saloons, although it was the Japanese-built Micra which was the company's best-selling car in Britain during the 1980s. Overall, motor vehicle manufacturing output has experienced a strong recovery since the economic downturn, with the level of output in 2009 more than doubling as of 2018. Lanchester, Thats according to new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which says the increase was driven by healthy Posted on 25 May 2023 by The Manufacturer. This has partly been driven by the rise in the number of firms with 500 or more employees, which has increased from 14.8% of all firms in 2008 to 33.8% in 2018 (Figure 7). It also replaced the entry-level Sunbeam with the Peugeot based Samba in 1981.[19][26]. Gilbern, [46][47] In 2008 Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to Tata Motors of India for 1.15billion. Subsequently, there was an increase in export demand, as global economic confidence broadly recovered.