Good news is worth highlighting and the UK reaching two million annual new car sales for the first time since 2019 (before the industry and wider world were hit by well-documented challenges) is definitely positive. Especially when you consider the JLR shutdown, US president Donald Trump’s various moves, the ongoing war in Ukraine and general economic and geopolitical turbulence.
But while it’s a good step, the car industry still faces a number of hurdles. Many makers have failed to sell enough EVs to hit legislative targets; the UK government’s incentives have helped but apply to only relatively few cars; and new, competent competition is coming across the board from China.
Given the slowdown in EV sales growth, many manufacturers are hoping the UK government will backtrack on its 2035 combustion-engined…
