Brexit: what do the car makers think?

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.”

Jaguar Land Rover

"For Jaguar Land Rover, today is just business as usual. We are a British business with a strong manufacturing base in this country, we call Britain home and we remain committed to all our manufacturing sites and investment decisions.

"We respect the decision of the British people and in common with all other businesses, Jaguar Land Rover will analyse the issues arising from it: as of today, nothing has changed for us or the rest of the British automotive industry. 

"Europe is a key strategic market for our business, comprising 20% of global sales, and we remain absolutely committed to our customers in the EU.

"There will be a significant negotiating period, and we need to understand more about that as details emerge. We will work hard with all parties to ensure that the importance of the British automotive industry is fully understood at every level of the negotiation process."

McLaren

"The decision of the British public to leave the EU may result in a period of economic uncertainty, at least until the ramifications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU are understood.