UK car production could slump to its lowest since the 1980s

Overall car production in the UK could fall to below a million for only the second time since the 1980s as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In April last year, 71,000 cars were produced in the UK, but this April, just 197 new cars rolled off the production line according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

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As a result, the SMMT is predicting this year's output to be around 870,000. The lowest number in recent years was 999,460, which occurred in 2009 amid the global financial crisis. Prior to that, car production in the UK hadn't dropped below 1 million units since the 1980s.

Car factories across the country have started to re-open after being temporarily closed because of the crisis. Nissan's Sunderland factory (pictured), the biggest car factory in the UK, is set to resume operations later in June.

"We need government to work with us to accelerate this fundamentally strong sector's recovery, stimulate investment and safeguard jobs," SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said of the automotive sector's recovery.

Overall it is thought that Britain's economy could shrink by 13 percent, which would be its biggest recession in around 300 years, with up to two million people losing their jobs. But that wouldn't be the only thing hampering the car industry, with diesel demand still slumping and the costs of moving over to alternative propulsion technologies still high.