Brexit: what do the car makers think?

The British car industry was strongly in favour of staying in the EU. What does it have to say now we’re leaving?

The British public has spoken, the UK is to leave the European Union.

What does this mean for the UK car industry? Earlier in the year the vast majority of the UK’s industry, represented by the SMMT, said it wanted to remain part of the European Union.

So what does it have to say now? We speak to key manufacturers invested heavily in Britain to gauge their opinions of Brexit. You can read more about the impacts of Brexit on motoring on our sister site, WhatCar?, here.

BMW

“BMW Group respects the British electorate’s decision to leave the EU. While it is clear there will now be a period of uncertainty, there will be no immediate change to our operations in the UK."

Ford

“Ford’s priority has always been the need to maintain a stable trading environment so that we can continue building a strong and sustainably profitable business in the UK and Europe, and thereby provide a more secure future for our nearly 14,000 direct employees in the UK.

“We will continue working toward this goal with key stakeholders in the UK and across the other Member States and EU institutions to ensure they understand our concerns, which mirror those of the majority of the UK and European auto industry.

“While Ford will take whatever action is needed to ensure that our European business remains competitive and keeps to the path toward sustainable profitability, we have made no changes to our current investment plans and will not do so unless there is clear evidence that action is needed.”

Nissan

Nissan has so far declined to comment, but it did announce plans to sue the Vote Leave campaign earlier this week.

Toyota

"Going forward, we will closely monitor and analyse the impact on our business operations in the UK, and how we can maintain competitiveness and secure sustainable growth together with the UK automotive industry and other stakeholders."

Vauxhall

“It is important for Vauxhall that negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU are concluded in a timely manner. It is also important that business continues to benefit from the free movement of goods and people during this period.

“Communication on the development of the future relationship with the EU should also be clear and transparent. We fully support remaining part of the European Economic Area.”

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

“The British public has chosen a new future out of Europe. Government must now maintain economic stability and secure a deal with the EU which safeguards UK automotive interests.

“This includes securing tariff-free access to European and other global markets, ensuring we can recruit talent from the EU and the rest of the world and making the UK the most competitive place in Europe for automotive investment.”