Car production in the UK fell by an annual 14.4% to 126,195 cars in March, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Exports were down by 13.4 % and these account for 80% of production.
The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming there’s a transition deal with the EU.
If Britain has to rely on World Trade Organization rules for its trade with the bloc, which include import tariffs, output is forecast to fall by around 30% to 1.07 million units in 2021, returning to mid-1980s levels, added the SMMT.