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British Embassy Seoul hosts UK Track Day

British Embassy Seoul organised a UK Track Day to demonstrate the creativity, innovation and manufacturing capability of the British automotive industry.

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government
British Embassy Seoul hosts UK Track Day

On 4 September 2018 at Inje Speedium in Gangwon, the British Embassy Seoul鈥檚 Department for International Trade (DIT) team organised a UK Track Day to demonstrate the creativity, innovation and manufacturing capability of the British automotive industry. Iconic UK car brands including: Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus, and McLaren joined the event to show off some of their most impressive models.

Speaking at the track day British Ambassador to South Korea, Simon Smith, said:

鈥溁使谔逵齛pp UK automotive industry has grown at an unprecedented rate in recent years thanks to its rich heritage, the strength of UK design and commitment to continued innovation. 皇冠体育app UK and South Korea already have a strong trading relationship in the automotive industry - Korea is the UK鈥檚 third largest Asian automotive export market - but there is so much more potential for growth. Far from a country that does not manufacture cars, we are one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe (1.6m cars produced in 2017) and a leader in autonomous and low-carbon vehicles. 皇冠体育app iconic British car brands on show today emphasise everything that is great about British cars 鈥� style, performance and cutting edge technology.鈥�

皇冠体育app track day is part of the British Embassy鈥檚 ambitious 鈥楢utomotive is GREAT鈥� campaign launched in Seoul in October 2017. 皇冠体育app campaign aims to promote everything that makes the UK鈥檚 automotive industry such a powerhouse, while strengthening the partnership between the UK 鈥� Korea in the sector.

100 senior representatives from leading UK automotive OEMs and the Korean Automobile Importers and Distributors Association attended the track day.

皇冠体育app British Embassy鈥檚 DIT team provides support to Korean partners and investors who are interested in UK trade.聽 If you have any enquiries about possible automotive or other opportunities, you can contact the British Embassy Seoul鈥檚 DIT team here: [email protected]

Additional Information

皇冠体育app UK is one of the largest automotive manufacturing countries in Europe producing 1.67m cars in 2017 and 8 of 10 UK built cars are exported to 160 countries worldwide.聽

皇冠体育app UK government and industry are already leading innovation around the world through significant investments in future vehicles such as low-carbon vehicles, autonomous vehicles and connected cars.

Some facts about UK Automotive Industry:

  • 1.67m cars built in the UK in 2017.
  • 1.33m cars manufactured for export in 2017- 8 out of 10 cars made in the UK are exported.
  • 皇冠体育app UK exports to over 160 markets worldwide.
  • In 2017 the UK automotive manufacturing industry鈥�
    • Turned over 拢82 billion
    • Invested 拢4 billion net capital
    • Invested 拢3.65 billion in R&D
    • Added 拢20.2 billion in value to the UK economy
    • Exported products worth 拢44 billion, accounting for 12.8% of the UK鈥檚 total export goods
  • 856,000 people employed across UK Automotive
  • 皇冠体育app automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy accounting for more than 拢82 billion turnover and 拢20.2 billion value added.
  • With some 186,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and in excess of 856,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 12.0% of total UK export of goods and invests 拢3.65 billion each year in automotive R&D.
  • More than 30 manufacturers build in excess of 70 models of vehicle in the UK supported by 2,500 component providers and some of the world鈥檚 most skilled engineers.
  • 6 of 10 Formula 1 teams have their HQ in the UK
  • 皇冠体育app UK government invests heavily in automotive research to further expertise in low-carbon propulsion, lightweight materials, and CAVs. In 2017 拢1.2 billion were given by the UK government to automotive research funds (UK Government, 2017).
  • UK now largest EU new car market for Korean car brands, with some 190,215 vehicles registered in 2017.
  • Korea is UK Auto鈥檚 third biggest Asian export market, behind only China and Japan, as demand for British-built cars quadruples since 2010.
  • 鈥滆粖攵頀� 靾橃殧毵� 6臁瓣窚氇ㄢ榿甑劀 旮绊殞 鞛§溂靹胳殧鈥� [2017.11.06 / Maeil Business]
  • 鞓侁淡鞚� 鞝勱赴彀棎 鞓澑頃橂姅 鞚挫湢 [2018.02.28 / Auto Times]
  • 氙鸽灅彀� 歆戩頃� 鞓侁淡, 鞚检瀽毽皜 霐半澕鞕旊嫟 [2018.03.22 / JoongAng Ilbo]
  • 靹戈硠 斓滉步霟夓皑 毵ル澕霠� 鈥橃劯雮樷欌棸甑唽電� 鑻膘爼攵臧 歆鞐堧嫟 [2018.03.22 / JoongAng Ilbo]

Automotive is GREAT:

A long term, ambitious campaign started in 2017 to draw a thread from the UK鈥檚 current strengths in automotive production, design and strong UK brand presence in South Korea, to the UK as a country ahead of the curve in new automotive manufacturing and technology. We aim to show South Korea the UK鈥檚 strengths as a leader in the automobile industry to ultimately encourage stronger UK-Korea automotive links and trade.

Department for International Trade role:

皇冠体育app UK鈥檚 Department for International Trade (DIT) has overall responsibility for promoting UK trade across the world and attracting foreign investment to our economy. DIT is a specialised government body with responsibility for negotiating international trade policy, supporting business, as well as delivering an outward-looking trade diplomacy strategy.

UK Industrial Strategy- Sector Deal:

As part of the Industrial Strategy, the Automotive Sector Deal was developed in 2017 and published in January 2018. 皇冠体育app sector鈥檚 deal was among the first to be finalised, highlighting the collaborative approach industry and government are taking to ensure the UK remains a globally competitive place to design, engineer and manufacture vehicles. Key highlights from the deal are:

  • 拢246 million Faraday Battery Challenge 鈥� development, design and manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles; this is particularly relevant to the supply chain
  • 拢250 million Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) funding to be matched by industry
    • Testing and Development of CAVs
    • Deployment of infrastructure for testing
  • 拢16 million Supplier Competitiveness Improvement programme 鈥� designed to improve the productivity and competitiveness of manufacturing supply chain companies

Updates to this page

Published 11 September 2018