Automotive industry bosses have called for incentives to help private buyers switch to electric vehicles, claiming that it is vital to ensure continued investment in the UK car production.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says the UK automotive manufacturing sector has secured around £20 billion of investment this year, compared with a total of £16.2bn in the previous seven years combined.
Those investments include around £2bn of fresh investment in Nissan’s Sunderland plant to build two new EVs and a third battery factory, £600 million by BMW to build electric Minis in Oxford and around £4bn for the planned battery factory in Somerset by JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) parent Tata Group.
Speaking at the SMMT annual dinner, chief executive Mike Hawes said: “The industry is betting big on Britain, and government has rightly recognised the value that automotive manufacturing brings to the UK.
