"The UK government is banning sales of non-zero emission cars from 2035, five years ahead of the previous target. The motor industry is, predictably, upset – but most major manufacturers are beginning to shift their product designs in this direction in any case. The new timing will add impetus to the need for new EV charging infrastructure, which is currently inadequate to support substantially larger numbers of EVs.
Recent data also showed that UK car production in 2019 had fallen for a third consecutive year – down 14% on 2018, while other data showed that UK car sales in January 2020 were down 7% Y/Y; reversing a slight upward move in December.
Brexit fears have harmed consumer confidence, but the UK is now in a transition phase relative to the EU until the end of 2020; no additional tariffs apply to car or component imports/exports. If a deal is not reached between the UK and the EU, all that could change, and the UK auto industry will be in an even more perilous position." – Peter Richardson