The production of vehicles in the United Kingdom declined abruptly for the fifth consecutive month in May, according to new data, as adverse conditions, including US President Donald Trump’s commercial policy, hit the car industry.

The data released on Friday by the British Association of Manufacturers and Car Merchants (SMMT) reported that the volume of new cars and professional vehicles in the United Kingdom decreased by 32.8% to 49,810 units last month.

This means that, except in 2020, when the factories were closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, British vehicle production reached May to the lowest level since 1949.

Missions to the European Union and the US – the two largest UK markets – decreased by 22.5% and 55.4%, respectively, last month.

Under the impact of duties

The dramatic slowdown in car production is largely due to continuing models, restructuring and impact on duties, SMMT said.

In early April, Trump implemented a 25% duty on all cars and car spare parts imported into the US – a move that prompted British luxury brands, such as Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover, temporarily suspending the US missions.

In early May, however, Trump signed an executive decree to reduce the contribution paid by US -based companies for British cars to 10% for the first 100,000 cars imported each year.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer then said that the reduction in car duties would save hundreds of millions of pounds per year for Jaguar Land Rover.