DRIVINGUK

AUTOMOTIVEINNOVATION

-INSIGHTSFROMINDUSTRY

INTRODUCTION

Theautomotivesectorisdrivenbyinnovation–continually

developingnewtechnologies

tomakemobilitysafer,greener,easiertouseandmoreappealingtoconsumers.

TheUKIsResearch,DeveIopmentandInnovation(RD&I)sectorhasIongbeenconsideredoneofthebestintheworId.TheUKisagreatpIacetoinnovate,withastabIe,supportiveinnovationecosystem,exceIIentIinksbetweenacademiaandindustry

andIongstandinggovernmentrecognition.Weneedtoremainattheforefrontofinnovation,R&DandbusinessdeveIopment一tosecureeconomicgrowth,staygIobaIIycompetitiveand

securefuturejobsfortheUK.

2THESOCIETYOFMOTORMANUFACTURERSANDTRADERS

CONTENTS

02Introduction

03Overview

04RoleofInnovationinUKAutomotive

05Challenges

06PolicyImpact

07ImprovementPriorities

08LookingAhead

09Conclusion

3THESOCIETYOFMOTORMANUFACTURERSANDTRADERS

OVERVIEW

UKAUTOMOTIVER&D

ANDINNOVATIONLANDSCAPE

TheUK’sglobalstandinginautomotiveinnovation

Talent&Collaboration

UKAutomotiveR&DCentres

WestMidlands

?ChanganUKR&DCentreLtd

?LotusTechCreativeCentre

?TheManufacturingTechnologyCentre(MTC)

?HORIBAMIRALtd.

?TheNationalAutomotiveInnovationCentre(NAIC)

?REEEngineeringCentre

?SAICMotorUKTechnicalCentreLimited

?TataMotorsEuropeanTechnicalCentre

?WMGWarwick(APCElectricalEnergyStorageSpoke)

SouthWest

?UniversityofBath(APCICESystemsEfficiencySpoke)

NorthEast

?NewcastleUniversity(APCElectricMachinesSpoke)

YorkshireandtheHumber

?UniversityofSheffield

(AdvancedManufacturingResearchCentreAMRC)

EastMidlands

?UniversityofNottingham(EPSRCCentrePower

Electronics;APCPowerElectronicsSpoke)

?VestatecAutomotiveEngineeringLtd

EastofEngland

?CranfieldUniversity

?HethelEngineeringCentre

?MillbrookProvingGround

?NissanTechnicalCentreEurope

SouthEastandLondon

?AVLPowertrainUKltd

?FordDuntonTechnicalCentre

?NIOPerformanceEngineering

?ShorehamTechnicalCentre

?UniversityOfBrighton

(APCICEThermalEfficiencySpoke)

50%ofindustry

respondentsratetheUKasverygoodorworld-classforautomotive

R&Dandinnovation,

with50%seeingitas

onparwithothermajorautomotivenations

68%

ofrespondentscite

theUK’saccessible

talentpool,including

skilledengineers,asitsgreateststrength.

50%

highlighttheUK’s

world-classuniversity

collaborationandculture

ofdiscoveryandinnovation.

TheseassetsarethebackboneoftheUK’sRD&Isuccess.

Investmentin

innovation

Governmentsupport&DRIVE35

TheUKautomotive

sectorinvestedaround

￡5billioninR&Din

2024.Britainishometo22automotive

researchand

developmentcentres.

￡2.5billioncommittedbytheUKgovernmentoverthenextdecade

tosupportRD&I,scale-upmanufacturing,

andtransformtheUKintoagloballeaderinzero-emissionvehicledevelopment.

58%ofsurvey

respondentssay

thenewDRIVE35

“Innovation”pillar

makesthemmore

likelytoconductRD&IintheUK.

KeyR&Dgrowthareasforthenextdecade

81%

seenext-generationbatterytechnology

asatopgrowtharea.

68%

highlightartificialintelligenceasakeydisciplineforfutureautomotiveRD&I.

64%

seecircularity(reusableandrecyclablematerials)asastrategicopportunity.

4THESOCIETYOFMOTORMANUFACTURERSANDTRADERS

INNOVATION

THEROLEOFINNOVATIONINUKAUTOMOTIVE

F

romtheinventionofthecatalyticconvertertofuelinjectortechnologies,theUK

automotiveindustryhaslongbeenatthe

cuttingedgeoftechnologyandinnovation

developments.Thesectorremainsasignificantdriverofresearchanddevelopment,in2024

investingaround￡5billioninResearch,

DevelopmentandInnovation(RD&I).Britainis

hometo22separateautomotiveresearchanddevelopmentcentres1thankstotheUK’sworld-classreputationasaplacetodevelopnew

technology.InthelatestAutomotiveCouncil

UKInternationalCompetitivenesssurvey,ofallthefactorsthatinfluenceinvestmentdecisions,university-industrycollaborationwasratedas

theUK’sbiggeststrength.Britainisalsorated

morehighlythanthemajorityofEUnationsonuniversity-industryR&D,andaboveaverage

globally.Thisiscomplementedbyitsunique

motorsportpedigree,whichdrivescompetitiveand‘challenge-led’engineering,helpingtospurinnovationacrosstheentiresector.

Theshifttoelectrifiedvehiclesandother

geopoliticalchallengeshavebroughttheUK

automotivesectortoacrossroads.Whilethere

isglobalrecognitionofitsRD&Icapabilities,

thecompetitivenessoftheindustryisnot

guaranteed.Thegovernment’snewModern

IndustrialStrategyandsectorplans,backedbythe￡2.5billionDRIVE35programme,isthereforeapositivedevelopment.Theprogramme’sthreefundingpillars–Transformation,Scale-Up,andInnovation–aredesignedtosupportprojects

acrossalltechnologyreadinesslevels,from

early-stageR&Dtocommercialmanufacturing.Bothgovernmentandtheindustrymustuse

thiscrucialmomenttoremainattheforefrontofRD&Itrendsinternationally.

ArecentSMMTsurveyofvehiclemanufacturers,suppliersandtechnologycompaniesshowsthatamajorityofrespondentshaveapositiveview

oftheUK,with50%believingitisperforming

onparwithothermajorautomotivenations,

50%ofindustryrespondentsratetheUKasverygoodorworld-classforautomotiveResearch,

DevelopmentandInnovation(RD&I).

TheresultssuggestthattheUKretainsseveralcorestrengths.Themostprominentisits

availableandaccessibletalentpool,cited

by68%ofrespondents.Thisisbolsteredby

collaborationwithworld-classuniversitiesandacultureofdiscoveryandinnovation,both

mentionedby50%.Theyprovideastrong

foundationforRD&I,particularlyinemergingareassuchassoftware-definedvehicles

(SDVs),batterytechnologyandAI-driven

manufacturing.Theseelementsformasolid

foundationforRD&I,althoughotherfactors,

includinggrantfundingandsupplierproximityareseenassecondarycontributors.

Recentgovernment-backedinitiatives

aredesignedtoharnessthesestrengths.

TheDRIVE35fund,forexample,commits

￡2.5billionoverthenextdecadetosupport

RD&I,scale-upmanufacturing,andtransformtheUKintoagloballeaderinzero-emission

vehicle(ZEV)development.Theprogramme

includes￡500milliondedicatedtolong-termR&DandhasalreadyfundedprojectsinvolvingmajorUK-basedOEMs,aswellasSMEsin

connectedandautomatedmobility(CAM)2.

01

/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/

SMMT-Motor-Industry-Facts-July-2025.pdf

02

https://www.apcuk.co.uk/news-events/news/drive35-innovation-and-scale-up-in-

the-automotive-sector/

d.

Leavesmuchtobedesired

%

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

INOVERALLTERMS,DOYOUCONSIDERTHEUK

TOBEAGOODPLACETOPERFORMRD&IINAUTOMOTIVE?

c.

Asgoodasothermajorautomotivenations

a.

Yes,world-leading

b.

Yes,verygood

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Availableandaccessibletalentpool(includingskilledengineers)

Cross-fertilisationofknowledgewithworld-classuniversities

Cultureofdiscoveryandinnovation

Availableandaccessiblegrantfunding

Proximitytosuppliersand/orcustomers

Supportiveregulatoryenvironment

BeingpartoftheEUHorizonframework

Other(pleasespecify)

INYOURVIEW,WHATARETHEUK’SKEYSTRENGTHSINAUTOMOTIVERD&I?

CASESTUDY

AEM:Developingmotorswithoutrareearthmaterials

SuperSpeedReluctanceDrive-Ahighpower,efficientelectricmotor,capableof30,000rpmspeeds-withoutpermanentmagnets.

Theaimoftheprojectwastoproduceaclassleadingelectrictractionsystemcapableofmeetingorbeatingthepower,

efficiencyandcoststandardsofglobalOEMsandTier1

suppliers-allwithoutthesupplychainchallengesassociatedwithrareearthelementsandPermanentMagnets(PM).

AEMhasdevelopedmotorandcontrollerhardwarethatisnowconfirmingsimulationsthatcanmatchorbeatcurrentmotor

designsinpassengercarapplications.“Drop-in”solutions

cannowbecreatedthatmatchtheinstallationandspeed

requirementsofPMmachines,withimprovedperformance,

efficiencyandlowercosts.WithouttherestrictionsofPMmotorspeedlimits,AEM’s,bespokeSSRDsolutionscanrunto30,000rpmandfurtherimprovepowerdensityandcosts.

Reluctancemachineshavebeeninexistenceforoveracentury,butitisonlywiththebenefitofmodernpowerelectronicsandAEM’spatentedmotortechnologythatreluctancemachine

topologyhasbeenexploitedtoitsfullestpotentialinpassengercarapplications.AEMhasovercomechallengesinthe

manufacturingandpowerelectronicselementsoftheproject,

implementinginnovativeandscalableproductionsolutionsof

compressedcoils,andconfiguringbasePEcomponentsinto

newformats,enablinggroundbreakingmotorcontrolstrategies.

Whencombinedthese

technologiesprovide

customerswithproductionsolutionsforthenext

generationofEV

powertrains:theSSRD.

AEM’s,compressedcoil

technologycanalsobe

utilisedbyothermotor

manufacturerstomaximisetheperformanceoftheir

motordesigns.

PLEASERANKTHETOPCHALLENGESYOURBUSINESSFACESINPERFORMINGRD&IINTHEUK?

0

1

2

3

4

5THESOCIETYOFMOTORMANUFACTURERSANDTRADERS

Uncompetitivecost(labour,energy,land/premisesetc)

Highregulatorybarriersorbureaucracy

Lackingtherightecosystem(e.g.fundingbodies,collaborators,potentialcustomers)

Unattractivetaxcreditregime

Difficultyinattractingtherightskillsets

CHALLENGES

CHALLENGES:

COST,REGULATION,

ANDECOSYSTEMGAPS

mostpressingofwhichistheuncompetitive

S

ignificantchallengespersist,however,the

costenvironment,whichreceivedthehighest

weightedaveragescore.TheenergycostcrisisintheUKishittingtheautomotiveindustry

particularlyhardamidtheEVtransition.WhilepriceshaveincreasedacrossEuropeinthe

lastfiveyears,theUKhasbeenhitespeciallyhardduetothestructureoftheUKenergyandelectricitymarkets.DatafromtheDepartmentforEnergySecurityandNetZero(DESNZ)

showsthatforlargeindustrialenergyuserstheUKhasthehighestelectricitypricesinEurope,andonaveragemorethandouble(112%)othercountries3.Thisreducesthecompetitiveness

oftheUKautomotiveindustry,increasingproductioncosts.

ItisessentialthattheUKaddressesthecostofenergycrisis,viatheBritishIndustrial

CompetitivenessScheme(BICS)butalsoinwiderelectricitymarketreformstoreflectthetruecostofrenewableelectricitypassedto

consumersandbusinesses.

03

.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/international-industrial-en-

ergy-prices?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_

source=2161a7e3-d361-4d2f-a8d7-64099dee3f9a&utm_content=daily

Otherbarriersincludeanunattractivetaxcreditregime,highregulatoryhurdlesanddifficulty

attractingtherightskillsets.Thelatterissue

maypointtothechallengesofachanging

workforceasthesectorincreasinglycompeteswithotherindustriestoattractworkerswhere

thismaynothavebeenthecasetosuchan

extentinthepast.Almost200,000peopleworkdirectlyinautomotivemanufacturing,andwith

productionshiftingdramaticallytowardselectricvehiclesanddigitalisationoverthenextdecade,Britainneedsanewgenerationofengineers,

designers,fabricators,aswellasaccessto

skillsnotseeninlargequantitiesinthesector,suchasdataanalystsandsoftwaredesigners.

TheUKautomotiveindustryisrecognisedfor

itshighlyskilledworkforce–atraitreferencedasakeycompetitivenesscriterionfor

investmentwithearlyinsightsintothelatestUKCompetitivenessIndex(throughtheAutomotiveCouncil)placinglabourandskillsasatop

priorityforinternationalinvestors.

Thesurveyresultsfurtherhighlightbroader

issuessuchastheeconomiccompetitiveness

oftheUKandretainingbusinessinthecountry

tocommercialisetheirproductsandservices,

pointingtosystemicchallengesthatcouldhinderlong-termgrowth.

6THESOCIETYOFMOTORMANUFACTURERSANDTRADERS

POLICY

POLICYIMPACT:

DRIVE35ANDSTRATEGIC

SUPPORT

E

ncouragingly,theDRIVE35‘Innovation’pillarappearstobeapositiveinfluence,with58%

ofrespondentsindicatingitwouldmakethem

morelikelytoconductRD&IintheUK.This

suggeststhattargetedpolicyinitiativescan

haveameaningfulimpactonindustrysentimentanddecision-making.DRIVE35buildsonthe

successoftheAutomotiveTransformationFund(ATF)andAdvancedPropulsionCentre(APC),whichpreviouslyattractedmorethan￡6billioninprivateinvestment.Italsoalignswiththe

UK’sModernIndustrialStrategy,whichaimstodoubleannualbusinessinvestmentinadvancedmanufacturingfrom￡21billionto￡39billionby20354.

04

.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/FullDeck-

DRIVE35-%E2%80%93-Driving-Research-and-Investment-in-Vehicle-Electrifica-

tion.pdf

WOULDYOUBEMOREORLESSLIKELYTOCONDUCTRD&IACTIVITIESINTHEUKKNOWINGTHATTHEREISNOWADRIVE35“INNOVATION”PILLAR(TOFUNDRD&IACTIVITIES)INTHERECENTLYPUBLISHEDINDUSTRIALSTRATEGY?

0%

LESSLIKELY

10%

UNSURE

35%

NOCHANGE

LIKELY

55%

MORE

EVhomechargingcompanyOhme,whichworkswith

manufacturers,leasingcompaniesanddealerships,specialisesinsmartchargingtechnologyusingdeepconnectivityandreal-timedatatochargewhenelectricityischeaperanddemandislower,helpingtocutcostsandcarbon.

InSeptember2024,thecompanyhelpedtofacilitatea

seven-monthOfgemWinterCrowdflextrial,partoftheUK’slargestdomesticenergygridflexibilitystudyledbythe

NationalElectricitySystemOperatorforGreatBritain(NESO).

ParticipatingEVdriversweregivenfinancialincentivestoplugintheirEVswhenevertheywereparkedathome,enabling

Ofgemtodemonstratehowhouseholdscanreliablysupportthegridandlaythefoundationforasmarter,moredecentralised

energysystem,helpingtodeliverongovernment’sCleanPowerby2030(CP2030)actionplan.

Duringthetrial,Ohmedriversreceived￡400,000inincentives,withovernightplug-inratesrisingby42%anddaytimeplug-

inratesby53%comparedwithpre-triallevels.Accordingto

Ohme,gridflexibilityservicesareestimatedtosaveconsumersanannual￡10billioninenergycostsby2050,andcustomer

engagementisessentialingeneratingmoreflexibilityand

helpingtheenergysystemmeetpeakdemand,reducecostsandlowercarbonemissions.

Ohme:SupportingdomesticenergygridfIexibiIityanddecarbonisation

CASESTUDY

7THESOCIETYOFMOTORMANUFACTURERSANDTRADERS

PRIORITIES

IMPROVEMENTPRIORITIES:

FUNDING,COLLABORATION,ANDEUROPEANALIGNMENT

T

heUKhaslongbeenseenasagoodplacetoconductRD&I; however,businesseshavestruggledtomovefromtheRD&Iphasetocommercialisationofproductsandservicesinthe

UK.Thereisaclearsentimentoftheneedforsupportmoving

beyondtheRD&Istagetocommercialisation.Whenaskedto

identifyhowtheUKcouldimproveitssupportforautomotive

RD&I,themostfrequentlymentionedareasofsupportwere

theneedforindustrialisationsupport,innovationincubation

platforms,collaborativeproblem-solvinginitiativesandInnovationFundingProgrammes.Thereisaneedtotakethegreatwork

thatishappeningintheUKintheRD&Ispace,ashighlighted

bythecasestudiesinthisreport,anddriveitontowards

successfulcommercialisation.Itisarealpositivethatthishas

beenrecognisedandreflectedinAPCfundingprogrammesvia

DRIVE35,andtheindustryiskeentoworkwiththegovernment

toensureitssuccess.Tosupportthis,thegovernmentneeds

toenhanceandsupportthisaimbyensuringpolicyframeworks

remainstableandsupportiveoverthenextdecade.Partofthat

workcanbedonebyde-riskinginvestmentinthesectorbyusingtheNationalWealthFundandBritishBusinessBanktosupport

internationalinvestmentfundingandmakingsuretheUKisacompetitiveplacetoinvestandremaintodevelopprofitabletechnologiesandbusinesses.

TheremaybecautiousoptimismattherecentIndustrialStrategyandDRIVE35fundingannouncementsbutthisthismaybe

temperedbyconcernstheUKwillnotaddresstheselong-standingbarrierseffectively.

Itispositivethat,aftermuchdelay,theUKisassociatedagainwiththeHorizonEuropeprogramme.Withthatprogrammecomingto

anendin2027,theUKhasanopportunitytosetoutwhatitwouldliketoseefromitssuccessor–theFrameworkProgramme10.TheUKgovernmentshouldseekassociationwiththesuccessor

programmesoasnottoloseaccesstothelargefundingandbusinesscollaborationcommunityitprovides.

McLaren:Transforminghigh-ratecompositemanufacturing

TheASCENDprojectaimedtodevelop

technology,materials,andautomation

methodstoenablehigher-rate,moreefficient,andsustainablemanufacturingofcomplex

compositeproducts.Itwasapioneeringcross-sectorcollaboration,supportedbyInnovateUKandtheAerospaceTechnologyInstitute(ATI),bringingtogetheraerospaceprecisionand

automotiveinnovation.

Inaerospace,roboticdepositiontechnologiesareusedtobuildtailoredcarbonfibre

structures–suchasaircraftfuselageand

wings–throughaprocesscalledautomated

tapelaying,orautomatedfibreplacement,

allowingoptimiseddesignandreduced

materialwaste.TheASCENDprojectsought

todevelopahigh-rateversionofautomated

depositioncalledAutomatedRapidTape(ART),revolutionisingthismethodforautomotive

applications.

Thisautomationsolutionstrengthensthe

TheinnovativemethoddesignedaspartoftheASCENDprojectunlocksfaster,

moreconsistentmanufacturingsuitablefor

high-volumeautomotiveproduction.With

lightweightingcentraltoMcLarenAutomotive’sDNA,theapplicationofARTenablesthe

creationofcarbonfibrestructuresthatare

lighter,stiffer,andstronger,whilegeneratinglesswasteandimprovingpart-to-part

consistency.

valuepropositionofin-housemanufacturing,offeringacost-effectiveandsustainablerouteforcompositeproduction.Ithasthepotentialtodisplaceheaviermaterialstraditionallyusedinbothsectors,positivelyimpactingvehicle

attributesandlifecycleperformance.

Successfulapplicationofthistechnologyisexpectedtoincreaseproductivityby25%

inautomotiveand40%inaerospace,wheremanualvalidationcurrentlycontributesto

higherin-processwaste.

Theprojectalsoenhancedsupplychain

capabilities,enablingtheproductionof

optimisedmaterialsandmachinesthatmeetthedemandsofhigh-rateprocessingand

intensivedutycycles.Sharedperformanceandsustainabilitygoalsbetweenaerospaceandautomotivesectorscreatedaunique

opportunityforknowledgetransferacrosssupplychains.

CASESTUDY

8THESOCIETYOFMOTORMANUFACTURERSANDTRADERS

THEFUTURE

LOOKINGAHEAD

Lookingahead,thesectorseesnext-generationbattery

technology(81%),artificialintelligence(68%),andcircularity(64%)askeygrowthareasoverthenextdecade.Otheremergingprioritiesincludelightweighting,self-drivingvehicles,and

automation–highlightingaforward-lookingindustryeagertoembracetransformativetechnologies.

TheFaradayInstitutionhaspreviouslystatedthattheUKmust

movequicklyifitistocapitaliseontheopportunitytobecomeaworld-leaderinnextgenerationbatterytechnologydevelopment,withactionssuchasattractinginwardinvestmenttoestablish

newgigafactories,strengtheningandbroadeningthebattery

componentmanufacturingsupplychain,investinginrefining

facilitiesandcapabilities,andconfirminglong-termsupportforresearchinnextgenerationbatterytechnologytonameafew5.

Withthatinmind,the￡452millioninvestmentaspartofthe

BatteryInnovationProgrammeintheAdvancedManufacturingSectorPlanisverywelcomeandmustprogresswithoutdelay.

ArecentAdvancedPropulsionCentre(APC)reporthighlights

theareasthatAIcouldrevolutionisecertainareasofthe

automotivesector,includingenhancingproductivityandefficiencytoenablenewbusinessmodelsandinnovation.However,

despitethisenthusiasmandsupportforitsuse,thereport

highlightsanAI-relatedskillsgapinthesector,withtheneedfortargetedinterventions6.

CircularityoffersastrategicopportunityforUKautomotiveto

driveeconomicgrowth,enhancesupplychainresilience,and

secureaccesstocriticalmaterials,especiallyinareaslikeEV

batterylifecyclemanagement.Thegovernment’slaunchofthe

CircularEconomyTaskforceanditsupcomingstrategysignala

commitmenttofosteringinvestment,jobcreation,andindustrial

development.FortheUKtoremaincompetitive,especiallywith

theEU’sCircularEconomyActionPlanalreadyinmotion,swift

andambitiousactionisneededtoestablishaclearframeworkthatenablestheautomotiveindustrytoleadincircularinnovation7.

TheUKgovernmentshouldseekassociationwiththesuccessor

programmesoasnottoloseaccesstothelargefundingand

businesscollaborationcommunityitprovides,andworkwith

industrytoidentifyopportunitiesforcollaborationacrossthe

automotiveandgreenin