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| Abbreviation | SMMT |
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| Formation | 1902 |
| Legal status | Not for profit company |
| Purpose | Employer organisation for the UK motor trade |
| Location | |
Region served | United Kingdom |
| Membership | UK automotive companies and motoring organisations |
Chief Executive | Mike Hawes,[1] |
Main organ | SMMT Executive (President – Mick Flanagan, Vice President, Adient)[2] |
| Affiliations | Association des Constructeurs Européens d'Automobiles (ACEA –European Automobile Manufacturers Association) |
| Website | www.smmt.co.uk |
TheSociety of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is thetrade association for theUnited Kingdom motor industry. Its role is to "promote the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad."
SMMT was founded byFrederick Richard Simms on 16 July 1902. In January 1959 it moved toForbes House, Belgravia, and in August 2011 it moved into its current offices at 71 Great Peter Street, London.[3]
One of its early functions was holding motor shows, the earliest of which was atCrystal Palace in January 1903 (now known as theBritish International Motor Show). TheMotor Industry Research Association (MIRA) was formed in 1946. In 1978, the Motor Show moved to theNational Exhibition Centre. In 2006, the Motor Show returned to London atExCel in 2006.[3]
In July 1972 it started the Motor Vehicle Registration Information System (MVRIS), which works on behalf of the government to collate data about new registrations of vehicles.[3] Data is obtained from vehicle manufacturers and/or importers and theDriver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. Figures are released on the fourth working day of every month and detailed analysis is available for purchase.[4]
The Motor Industry Code of Practice for New Cars was launched in 2004, which provides trading standards for consumers, via automotive traders who are registered with theMotor Codes code of practice. The UK car industry has had a reputation of a minority of garages and repair companies giving consumers a less-than-satisfactory level of performance, with (generally) female consumers being cynically targeted for excessive costs for maintaining their cars. Call-out charges for repairs and roadsidebreakdowns have been known to be uncompetitively high. The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair was launched in August 2008 to correct anycowboy practices of financial manipulation. More than 4,000 garages across the UK now are registered with this scheme. It was claimed by theNational Consumer Council that substandard repair work by UK garages was costing consumers around £4 billion a year.[5]
The organisation "promotes the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad" for a sector that produced 1.6 million vehicles – including cars and commercial vehicles – and 2.71 million engines in the UK (2018) and employs a UK workforce of more than 823,000.[6] The organisationadvocates andlobbies on behalf of the sector,[7] in particular for vehicle and component manufacturers, and the motor retail sector.
The SMMT monitors and reports on the UK's registrations and production figures for cars and LCVs. Each May, the organisation holds the SMMT Test Day for invited motoring journalists atMillbrook Proving Ground to test drive and review the latest new models from vehicle manufacturers.
Scientists on theClimate Change Committee advised a total ban of petrol and diesel engine sales including for hybrids by 2032 to meet the UK government's decarbonisation goals. The SMMT lobbied the government to delay this ban. The resulting delay was a "significant victory for the car industry" according toThe Guardian.[8]
Aside from the Secretariat, who runs the organisation daily with around 80 staff in 13 departments, and the Executive, there are many working groups, technical committees for trade sectors, and research and marketing topics in the car industry. The future of the British automotive industry is facing many technical challenges with strictEU emission legislation, and the introduction ofelectric andfuel cell vehicles.
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