SMMT Transport News Brief

Thursday, July 27, 2017 - 16:50
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This week has been a busy one for the industry, with DEFRA releasing its final air quality plan yesterday. SMMT and our members are working closely with government to ensure that the right consumer incentives, policies, and infrastructure is in place to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.

However, it is important to remember that the electric vehicle market, while growing rapidly, is still a small one, particularly for LCVs.

An outright ban of petrol and diesel models risks undermining the strong UK market, which is why we are calling for a more positive approach that instead offers consumers and fleet operators incentives to choose a ULEV.

SMMT also released its commercial vehicle manufacturing figures today for the first half of 2017. Although June and H1 output levels have declined, this is natural as we have seen two years of exceptionally strong growth. Export figures, however, are on the up, rising 11.9% so far this year. With the vast majority of these exports going to Europe, maintaining competitive trading conditions with our most significant partner will be vital in order to future-proof the success of the sector.

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