© Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Luxury Jaguar XK and F-type automobiles, produced by Jaguar Land Rover Plc, a unit of Tata Motors Ltd., travel along the production line at the company’s assembly plant in Castle Bromwich, U.K.
U.K. car production plummeted to a new low last month, marking the worst July performance for the industry since 1956, according to a trade group.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
said Thursday that U.K. manufacturers built just 53,438 vehicles in July, marking a 37.6% drop on July 2020.
A global semiconductor shortage, factory shutdowns and worker absences amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic all contributed to the decline, SMMT said.
While July was a particularly bad month, car production across U.K. factories is up 18.3% year-to-date compared to 2020, when Covid restrictions meant people couldn't go to work.
Some 552,361 cars have been built in the U.K. since January, but that's still 28.7% down on 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said in a statement that the figures "lay bare the extremely tough conditions UK car manufacturers continue to face."
Comment: Just prior to the attack, western governments were warning about the possibility of an attack at the airport by ISIS-K (ISIS in Khorasan, Afghanistan). According to a Taliban official, they were the ones who alerted NATO forces about the "imminent" suicide bomb attack: "Multiple" U.S. service members were killed (so far 4 Marines confirmed, 3 wounded).
UPDATE:
The above were apparently controlled detonations.
UPDATE: The death toll currently stands at 170, very close to the report from Amaq claiming responsibility. Close to 200 wounded. Thirteen U.S. troops were killed, along with at least 28 Taliban members. Despite initial reports of two explosions, the Pentagon claims there was only one bomber, and no explosion near the Baron Hotel. General Taylor says the media report of that explosion was false.
An Afghan witness to the bombing shared his observations with RT: