Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the ability of car manufacturers to (a) produce and (b) import the required number of vehicles to satisfy consumer demand and meet the Government’s 2030 phase out date for petrol and diesel vehicles.

Consumer demand for zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) is growing. In 2019 the UK was the third largest market for ultra-low emission vehicles in Europe and last year 1 in 10 cars that were sold came with a plug. There is a global momentum towards ZEVs and the automotive industry is investing billions into new technology over the next 5 to 10 years. A number of vehicle manufacturers have made ambitious commitments to electrify their vehicle production which will result in greater consumer choice of ZEVs across a number of price points over the next decade. The UK is already well placed at the forefront of this with our ambitious phase out dates and a strong package of supporting measures in place. The Government is working closely with vehicle manufacturers to further develop the UK’s supply chain for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). We are investing nearly £500 million of funding for the Automotive Transformation Fund, as part of a wider commitment of up to £1 billion to develop UK supply chains for the large-scale production of BEVs and to support further R&D in the UK. This will protect existing jobs and support thousands more high-quality jobs across the UK. We are working both in the UK and overseas on the opportunity of attracting foreign direct investment in to the UK BEV supply chain.