Coronavirus slashes UK car output as industry warns of big hit
By Costas Pitas
LONDON, April 30 (Reuters) – The British car industry faces losing output worth more than 8 billion pounds ($10 billion) due to the coronavirus outbreak, which cut production in March by a third, falling to its lowest level since 2009, an industry body said on Thursday.
The sector, Britain’s biggest exporter of goods which employs more than 800,000 people, saw factories and dealerships begin to close from mid March with only some having set reopening dates for May.
Automakers around the world have warned of the scale of the challenge affecting manufacturers already struggling to deal with tougher emissions rules, the hit to diesel sales and the cost of electrification and autonomous technology.
In Britain, volumes fell by an annual 37.6% to 78,767 vehicles in March and the sector, which made 1.3 million cars last year, faces a loss of more than 250,000 cars and vans, the
