UK Lobbies for Laxer Brexit Trade Rules as Carmakers Seek Help
- Vauxhall maker decries tariffs, lack of UK battery supplies
- Nissan sees risk of UK automaking becoming uncompetitive
A vehicle transporter leaves the Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port, UK.
Photographer: Anthony Devlin/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The UK government is lobbying the European Union to delay Brexit-related local manufacturing requirements after the maker of Vauxhall and Peugeot cars warned the rules may lead to factory closures.
Stellantis NV, which is retooling its Ellesmere Port site to make electric vans, said it’s unable to meet local content requirements because of rising raw-material prices and a lack of UK battery supplies. Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. said assembling cars in Britain is at risk of becoming too expensive after the rules kick in next year.