Since the UK voted to leave European Union, automakers with industrial footprints in Britain such as Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, Nissan, Honda and Toyota have been warning about the danger to their operations of the country leaving the trading bloc without a deal. They have urged the British government to negotiate with the EU to keep as many advantages as possible, such as tariff-free access between the UK and EU and staying in the customs union to ensure the quick flow of essential components to their just-in-time UK plants.
As the UK’s ruling Conservative party struggles to agree on what sort of deal that should be ahead of the March 29 leave date, automakers' fears of a hard Brexit are growing.
The hard-Brexit wing of the Conservative party is trying to convince the UK public that the country will be fine economically without a trade deal with the EU. In making their case, they have demonstrated they either have little idea how the modern car industry works or are prepared to sacrifice it altogether to achieve their aim. Here are five of the worst examples.