Global automotive industry news, data and analysis

Upbeat chats with Ford and Kia - the week

We had an impressively upbeat interview with Ford Europe's British born boss this week, grilled by our automotive editor, Dave Leggett, on the sidelines of a first look (and ride, no driving) at the upcoming Mexican built Mustang Mach-E. Who'd be the head of the European arm of a Detroit based automaker? Stuart Rowley would. He's well on with a painful restructuring - bang goes the Bridgend engine plant in Wales, 12,500 jobs across Europe - but the huge losses are abating, even if the word 'profit' isn't yet in use, Brexit and EU CO2 quotas are well in hand and even the coronavirus doesn't appear to be fazing him unduly.

UK border controls on January 1, 2021: the death knell for UK vehicle production? 

During the Brexit referendum, then under Theresa May’s premiership, and also during the early days of Boris Johnson’s tenure, the UK was either "promised" frictionless trade or led to be believe imports, especially, would face no specific additional burdens.  Any additional friction would be as a result of the EU, implying that it would be exports which would be hit.  Indeed, much of the discussion in last year’s 'no-deal' planning suggests that there would be both zero tariffs on most imports and only light touch import procedures, with 'easements' for deferring VAT payments for example.