LONDON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- British car production dropped 16.5 percent in November, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data published Friday by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Figures showed car production in Britain slid to 107,753 units in November, with losing significantly by 16.5 percent year-on-year.
Data revealed that output for both domestic and overseas markets plunged, down 26.6 percent and 14.2 percent respectively.
"An additional factor in the poor performance in November was the factory shutdowns around Halloween, planned closures to mitigate against any disruption arising from the potential departure of the UK from the EU without a deal on 31 October," said SMMT.
Meanwhile, in the year to date, car production stood at 1,231,679 units, down 14.5 percent over the same period last year.
"By far the majority (80.8 percent) heading abroad and most of these exports (54.7 percent) into the EU -- still by far UK automotive's largest trading partner," added SMMT.
Mike Hawes, chief executive at SMMT, said: "UK car production is export-led, so we look forward to working with the new government to deliver an ambitious trade deal with the EU."
"To ensure our competitiveness at a time of dramatic technological change, that deal needs to be tariff free and avoid barriers to trade, which, for automotive, means that our standards must be aligned," said Hawes.
