In September, UK car production fell 27.1% year on year. According to SMMT, 51,090 vehicles rolled off the lines, compared with nearly 70,000 a year earlier. The drop largely stemmed from an IT systems failure at Jaguar Land Rover, the country’s biggest automaker, which brought output to a halt. Given JLR’s scale, that kind of stoppage was always going to drag the national tally down.

Even so, the model mix told a different story: electric and hybrid vehicles accounted for 47.8% of total output. Their volumes rose 14.7% to 24,445 units. Exports reached 38,821 vehicles—76% of all production—with the EU, the United States, Turkey, Japan and South Korea as the main destinations. The export-heavy balance underscores steady demand abroad and shows the shift toward electrified drivetrains is holding.

Meanwhile, commercial-vehicle output slumped 77.9%, and combined production of cars and vans declined 35.9%. Experts cautioned that supply chain issues and cyber incidents could slow the sector’s recovery, including the rollout of new 2026 models geared toward export and electrification. Under those pressures, keeping launch timelines intact looks increasingly challenging.