Sharjah24 - Reuters: British car production dropped 6% in September, an industry body said on Thursday, as the sector continues to bear the brunt of high energy costs, supply-chain snags and component shortages.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 63,125 units were made in Britain in September, nearly half of the levels seen in 2019, before the pandemic hit.

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) production grew 16.6% in the month, the SMMT said.

The global exports value of electric vehicles, which represents more than a third of all UK car exports, surged to 7.9 billion pounds ($9.13 billion) from 1.3 billion pounds over the last five years.

In September, SMMT said energy costs have emerged as the single biggest concern for British automotive manufacturers, which have collectively racked up more than 300 million pounds in bills during the year to August.