LONDON -- UK car production last month was 41 percent lower than a year earlier, reflecting ongoing disruption from chip shortages and Honda's closure of a car plant in July, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement.
About 61,657 cars were made in Britain in February, the lowest number for the time of year since February 2009 and down from 105,008 a year earlier.
British car production in 2021 sank to the lowest since 1956, due to the growing impact of semiconductor shortages, and is half its level of five years ago.
"The sector entered 2022 hopeful for recovery, but that recovery has not yet begun, and urgent action is now needed to help mitigate spiraling energy costs and ensure the sector remains globally competitive," SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said in the statement.
Automakers were also affected by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which were sources for electric wiring and for aluminum, palladium and nickel used in batteries, the SMMT said.
A quarter of cars produced in February were either hybrid or full-electric vehicles.
Britain's government has said the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered cars and vans will be banned from 2030 as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Honda - which before the pandemic accounted for about 10 percent of British car production - said last year that it was closing its plant in Swindon, southern England, due to falling demand for its cars across Europe. It said the move was not due to Brexit.
