The fortunes of the UK’s automotive supply chain are being put in danger by ill-conceived and misaligned policies which can be driving short-term behaviours and will determine long-term negative decisions, warns Institute of the Motor Industry president professor Jim Saker.
When on December 19 Robert Forrester of Vertu Motors called the Government ‘delusional’ over the brand new electric automotive targets I totally agreed with him, but additionally I’d have added the word ‘damaging.’
Being delusional is holding firm beliefs that are usually not based in point of fact and persist despite evidence on the contrary and consequently when implemented are damaging to people who find themselves forced to operate under these misguided beliefs.
When, in 2020, Boris Johnson announced the banning of the sale of ICE recent cars from 2030 there was no strategy or structure put in place to realize it. In so doing he set in motion a set of actions which can be detrimental to the UK, its customers, manufacturers, suppliers and retailers in addition to opening up the entire issue of its the impact on national security.
The policy of not aligning with Europe means the UK automotive industry have been handed over to Chinese importers who don’t face the identical tariffs within the UK as they do within the EU.
The UK becomes the targeted dumping ground for his or her products.
By doing so automotive corporations similar to JLR, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Stellantis, who’ve been manufacturing within the UK for many years and providing expert employment opportunities, are penalised.
Satirically when the Western carmakers desired to sell into China it needed to be done as JVs, allowing the IP for use to provide competing products which can be now being sold back into the UK.
Why is it that the Government shouldn’t be imposing the identical restriction on Chinese manufacturers?
By forcing the EV targets and penalising OEMs for not hitting their targets they’re forcing corporations to maneuver away from offering products that customers want, and force them to purchase those on a Downing Street approved list.
As Forrester states, the OEMs will simply ration petrol, diesel and hybrid cars to avoid fines.
Satirically the Government fines the OEMs for not hitting EV targets while they themselves have didn’t hit their very own targets for providing EV charging points throughout the country.
Shouldn’t the Government be compensating the industry for his or her failure?
With an open-door policy to Chinese vehicles, the Ministry of Defence has needed to ban Chinese vehicles and people with Chinese cellular networks in them from any sites where sensitive information is prone to be being held.
Along with this we now have the 3p per mile tax on EVs and 1.5p on PHEVs coming in, with no idea how this will probably be measured. It will incentivise a stream of criminal activity that can develop the power to hack right into a automotive’s management system to maintain the mileage to a minimum and reduce the tax.
Also, it gives the chance to hack right into a competitor’s fleet/stock and increase the mileage.
With Christmas just behind us, my hope is that this pantomime farce is not going to proceed and in 2026 common sense will prevail.
Creator: Professor Jim Saker
This Article First Appeared At www.am-online.com
