Luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) expects the global microchip shortage – which has constrained production levels – to ease throughout the next fiscal year.
This follows comments by BMW chief executive, Oliver Zipse, last week, who said he expects to see an improvement in supplies, by next year at the latest.
JLR, which has production plants at Halewood in Merseyside and Solihull and Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands, issued production figures for the fourth quarter, ahead of announcing its annual results next month.
It said retail sales for the three-month period to March 31, 2022, continued to be constrained by the semiconductor shortage. However, it has seen a gradual improvement in chip supply leading to improved production and wholesale volumes compared with the previous quarter.
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UK van registrations fall -27.6% as global supply challenges hamper pandemic recovery.
- New light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations fall by -27.6% in March to 40,613 units.
- Registrations of large vans down -18.9%, while demand for medium-sized vans, the second biggest segment by volume, falls -27.6%.
- Market ends first quarter of 2022 at -27.6% below pre-pandemic levels, as global shortage of semiconductors continues to affect supply.
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New car market feels supply chain squeeze during critical ‘new numberplate’ month.
- New car registrations decline -14.3% to 243,479 units – the weakest March since 1998, before the UK went to two annual number plate changes – as supply chain shortages constrain deliveries.
- Best ever month for battery electric vehicles with 78.7% growth to 39,315 units, while all electrified vehicles account for one in three registrations.
- March decline results in overall Q1 registrations fall of -1.9% despite rollback of pandemic restrictions.
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The UK auto market saw plugin electric vehicles take 22.7% share in March, up strongly from 13.5% year on year. Overall auto volumes were 243,749, down some 45% from the seasonal norms of the pre-pandemic years. Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3 are the 6th and 7th best-selling autos in the UK so far in 2022.
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/04/05/uks-plugin-evs-hit-23-in-march-full-electrics-up-over-2x-yoy/
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Toyota Motor Corp. reaffirmed its commitment to the U.K. after a newspaper reported it may halt making cars in the country because of government plans to shift more rapidly to fully electric vehicles.
The Japanese automaker said it’s ready to sell only zero-emission cars and reiterated its view that hybrids have a role to play in the transition by 2035 as the U.K. prepares to set new targets for the auto industry. Toyota is focused on achieving a long-term and sustainable future in Europe, including for its British plants, the carmaker said in an emailed statement.