Electric Vehicles Proving Expensive

When I say proving expensive, I'm refering to some manufacturers in this instance. In particular Ford and the F-150 Lightning. If the name Lightning implied that would be selling fast, then that would be a misnomer. 

Sales were suggested to be in the 150,000 region per annum. They peaked at 33,500 in 2024 and over the four years it's been on sale, barely got past a combined total of 100,000. The scrapping of federal EV tax credits may have been the final nail in the coffin, but maybe it was doomed regardless. 

The amazing thing is it was the best selling BEV truck in the US. Mind you, the Cybertruck wasn't exactly competition, just a little opposition. Still there are others out there and they were beaten too. Despite that, Ford has decided to end the Lighning. 

So this u-turn is costing the company billions of dollars, according to Ford. From the outset, I never saw BEVs as an ideal mass market vehicle, more likely to carve out a niche. Surely, fuel cell or synthetic fuels have potential for broader mass appeal. 

Some markets see it differently and are pushing BEVs to become the future of mobility, for now at least. At least they are providing some stability by not flip flopping. What it shows is that predicting the future is as difficult as it has ever been. Those that are putting a great deal of money into BEVs are taking a risk and a already a few have been burned. Electric vehicles sure can be expensive. 

Toyota Deeside Wales

The UK produces quite a few car engines. Up to November, 2025 about 1.5 million engines were manufactured YTD. With the world moving away from ICE powered vehicles, that looked like an industry living on borrowed time. Recent pull backs on the move to ban such engines will give this industry a reprieve. 

One such plant is situated in Deeside, North Wales, which started producing engines for the Carina model in 1992. My father grew up in the area, so I do have a connection with it. He worked at the local Shotton Steelworks before moving away. 

According to Toyota, the plant employs around 600 workers and in 2024, a total of 244,463 hybrid & petrol engines were produced. 

They found their way into the Corolla built in Derbyshire, for the C-HR model built in Turkey and the Corolla Cross in South Africa. 

The Deeside engine assembly line has the capability to produce an engine every 44 seconds, the fastest Toyota assembly line of its type in the World.

So if you own any of the models mentioned above, the engine came from Deeside, Wales. Pictures and information sourced from Toyota UK. 

UK Vehicle Production : 2024-25 (Q1-Q3)

Do you want the good news or the bad news? Well, there is only the latter here. UK vehicle production is nothing short of embarrassing. It's been building for many years and little has been done to address the situation even as it reaches a disastrous level.

Let's dissect it by diving deeper. Passenger car production is 665,000, down from 734,600 in 2025. You would have to go to the early 1950's to see lower figures. That was when a devastated post war Britain was trying to get back on its feet. 

So far, 151,000 sales in the UK were for locally produced cars. That represents 8.1% of total sales. In other words, 91.9% of the cars sold in the UK this year are imports! Just as well no one cares. 

Can commercial vehicle sales salvage something from this disaster? Of course, I jest. It's even worse. Production is at 45,000 units, down from 118,500. No, that's not a typo. So tell us then, how bad is it? 

I have data going back to and including 1945. This is by far the worst over that time. I don't have detailed data on why this is, so all I can do is speculate. 

Stellantis is the main CV producer in the UK and they seem to be having problems either making or selling vans. Truck makers such as Leyland DAF and Dennis Trucks are still doing OK but they can't stem the slump. Exports are the hardest hit. 

Buses don't make up huge numbers but the government is subsidising the switch to electric buses. The UK's largest bus operator recently took the offer and bought buses made in China. Taxes spent on overseas manufactured buses. Just as well no one cares. 

By combining the above figures, the picture won't be any brighter. A solution could be an import tax on import gradually increased each year and then manufacturers encouraged to start local UK production. 

The market is big enough to support that. Some of the revenue could be used to incentivise buying locally made.

Would this increase vehicle prices overall in the UK? Not if they bought locally made. Would other nations understand the precarious situation or cry foul and threaten 'consequences'? The latter. 

Don't other nations impose import duties to 'protect' their markets? Some like China, Korea and India don't even need protection. Surely, they would be supportive, seeing as they do it. Again, I jest. Double standards are the default setting of international dealings. 

So here I am, proposing a way forward to save a car industry on life support but realistically knowing nothing will change. It was a productive UK industry while it lasted but it could end up being a few luxury brands only and maybe a few trucks. Just as well no one cares. 

EU to Backtrack on China Sourced EVs?

Since November 2024, the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese sourced electric cars (BEV) due to unfair advantage through state subsidies. Now pressure is being applied by a European car maker who manufacture a BEV in China to make an exception for them. What is the reasoning?

According to VW's SEAT/Cupra, they say it is "an unfair tariff that penalises strategic investments." So making cars in China rather than Europe is 'strategic' or the definition of the word 'helping achieve a plan'. Protecting European jobs isn't the plan nor punishing perceived infair subsidies, so I guess increased profit is the strategic plan.  

After deciding to build a car somewhere and then legislation is introduced that affects that decision adversely is a bitter pill to swallow. Getting an exemption would seem an ideal solution. The downside is opening the door to many others doing the same and that works against the initial tariff's aim. 

Other brands make electric cars in China. BMW decided to make the MINI Aceman in China rather than the UK but would retaining tariffs lead BMW to start making them in the UK? Volvo produces the EX30 in Belgium and that circumvents tariffs. It seems Dacia will bring the Spring model production back to Europe in 2026. I wonder how the manufacturers that accepted BEV tariffs and are moving production back to Europe are now feeling?

 As to whether tariffs are a good idea or not in this situation is not an argument I want to join. As a general observation though, SEAT/Cupra is looking at their personal situation and they want an exception for their benefit. Considering the effect on others and the impact on the overall objective becomes secondary. 

BEV sales in Europe aren't going that well anyway and plans to impose a ban on selling new cars with internal combustion engines in the EU from 2035 have been abandoned. I wonder if trying to beat the tariff will reap that much anyway.

Brands From China In France : 2025 (Jan -Nov)

The chart to the right shows sales of brands that are based in China. Rk is where they rank compared to all brands, MS is market share and +/- shows increases over 12 months of 2024. 

There have been some impressive gains plus some new ones, n/a showing that. Saying that, compared to many other markets, the 3.1% overall penetration is low. 

MG is well established (since 2020) and BYD has wasted no time in moving up the rankings, 2024 is its first full year here. Leapmotor and Xpeng have done well in a short time as well. 

It will be interesting to see what develops from here. The EU have set tariffs based on what they have determined are unfair subsidies. These are not imposed as a blanket figure but vary according to the calculated amount of the subsidy. 

This will have impacted the numbers compared to the UK, where they haven't acted on this issue so far. I would like to do an article on Norway, which has like the UK, does not impose tariffs. I just don't get enough data to do that. 

For others in the series: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore. The UK.

Data source: AAADATA. 

Photo source: MG (EHS - top) and Xpeng (G6 -bottom) France. 

JLR's Gerry McGovern Leaves The Company

Anyone who reads articles here will know my affection for the Jaguar marque but also my disquiet about the direction it is being taken. Bold decisions were needed with Jaguar, but bold needs to be executed sensibly. I cannot think of one decision that would describe Jaguar's treatment in recent times as sensible. 

The design of the new range of Jaguar EVs looked appalling in my opinion. One could tell that designers of the quality of Ian McCallum were not part of the process. The new CEO has shown JLR design boss Gerry McGovern the door. There could be various reasons as to why his departure happened, but I won't speculate. 

The new designs and the premium/electric direction Jaguar is being taken cause me to fear for its future because I am not sure it will work. Can JLR afford to recalibrate Jaguar again, or are they committed to continuing their current trajectory? I would say the latter, unfortunately.

PS. For more on Jaguar, simply click on 'Brand - Jaguar' in the Labels column.