UK car production fell for a fifth straight month in July, Reuters data showed

(Reuters) – Britain’s car output fell for a fifth straight month in July, hit by manufacturers switching to new models and temporary supply chain disruptions, industry data showed on Thursday.

A total of 65,478 cars rolled out of production in July, down 14.4 percent from a year earlier, the Society of Automobile Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Production of electrified vehicles, which included all-electric, plug-in hybrid and full hybrid models, made up 37.5% of total production, up from 39.5% a year ago.

“There is likely to be a continued degree of volatility as the industry restructures to move to zero-emission vehicle production,” SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said in a statement.

Automakers Nissan (OTC:) and Tata Motors (NYSE: ) have announced multi-billion pound investments in electric vehicle production at their UK plants, supporting the industry’s foreign investment and driving towards net zero emissions.

However, rising living and production costs have hurt sales and production of electric vehicles, prompting global automakers such as Ford (NYSE: ), General Motors (NYSE: ) and Mercedes to scale back their ambitious electric vehicle plans.

UK car production rose 14.8% to 118,672 units year-to-date in 2024, the SMMT said.