(JLR) has enlisted the help of an obscure Swedish agency to ensure that it can sell cars in Europe after Brexit.
British car-makers are in danger of being blocked from selling into one of their biggest international markets unless they can gain approval that their vehicles meet European standards once the UK leaves the EU.
The government’s Vehicle Certification Agency issues licences that are valid across Europe, but they risk being made invalid in the case of a no-deal Brexit.
So Britain’s biggest car-maker has turned to a certification agency in Sweden to ensure that its cars meet European standards should the UK leave the EU without a deal on October 31.
It will also use an agency in Spain for some approvals.
The move illustrates the layers of bureaucracy and cost being piled on manufacturers that want to continue trading with the EU post-Brexit. Europe is JLR’s second-biggest market after north America, with 22% of its sales — 127,566 cars — going to the Continent in its latest financial year.
JLR last week said it would shut its British factories for a week in November, confirming a Sunday Times report days earlier. The factories were also closed in April ahead of the previous Brexit deadline.
JLR said: “We can confirm we have arrangements in place and know we can continue with European-type approvals when the UK exits the EU.”