Britain becomes the engine room of Europe

By Nigel Wonnacott

Motor Industry

26 June 2008 13:59

Britain makes twice as many engines each year as cars. Latest industry figures reveal more than 3.1 million petrol and diesel engines were produced at domestic plants in 2007, compared to just over 1.5 million cars.

Output has soared recently, with more than half a million more engines leaving production lines in the last two years. Ford’s Dagenham diesel plant and Bridgend in Wales drove the lion’s share of growth.

Car making in Dagenham may have ended in 2002, but four production lines turned out 900,776 diesel engines last year. That was 300,000 more than in 2005 and Ford says it expects to top one million for the first time this year.

Bridgend, which makes petrol units such as the 1.25 and 1.4 litre Zetec as well as larger V8s for Jaguar and Land Rover, has also seen strong growth. Output rose from 552,000 units in 2005 to 758,581 last year. Ford says Bridgend too is heading towards the one million mark.

But Ford is not the only engine manufacturer to have ramped up production. At BMW’s Hams Hall plant in the West Midlands, output has doubled to 367,000 units, while Honda has added more than 100,000 units in Swindon, both in just two years.

Engine production seems like a largely untold success story, however it’s not all good news. Like car manufacturing there has been consolidation. A smaller number of producers are now making roughly the same number of engines as they were five years ago: in 2003 Land Rover, Powertrain (for MG Rover) and Vauxhall were producing half a million units a year. By 2006, all production had ceased.

Too often we hear someone erroneously lamenting the death of the British motoring industry. Engine production may not be as cool or sexy as making millions of cars, but it still highlights the pivotal role Britain plays in the global car industry– doesn't it?

By Nigel Wonnacott