Downing Street Says » Motor Industry

» Monday, January 26, 2009

Motor Industry

Asked if the motor industry could expect good news this week after speculation about help from the Government, the Prime Minister s Spokesman (PMS) said that it was best to wait and see. Lord Mandelson would be meeting with representatives from the motor industry this week, which was one of a number of meetings Lord Mandelson had already had with representatives, but we would not speculate on what would be discussed at the meeting. The Government believed that the car industry was a sector with a strong future and we were determined to ensure that the car sector remained a permanent and important part of our manufacturing base.

Put that the motor industry would rather not have a handout, the PMS said that we should wait to see how things developed; as Lord Mandelson had been saying, we were working on further action to help the sector through the economic downturn and would be discussing what more could be done at the meeting this week.

Asked if Lord Mandelson would be meeting with unions as well as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the PMS said it was best to check with Lord Mandelson s department regarding the cast list.

Put that the PMS didn t usually flag up meetings between Ministers and representatives of industries and asked if there would be a statement on the specifics of Lord Mandelson s meeting, the PMS said that he often flagged up meetings between Ministers and representatives of lots of different industries, including the car industry. Any subsequent steps following on from the meeting would be dealt with nearer the time.

Asked if there had been discussions about the Government working with Toyota on hybrid cars, the PMS said that, without commenting on specific companies, the Prime Minister was keen for the Government to help promote fuel-efficient cars, hybrid cars and electric cars. It was something that Lord Mandelson and the Department for Business and Regulatory Reform (BERR) took very seriously.

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