Ford and BMW warn against UK exit from EU as David Cameron readies historic speech Britain exported a record number of cars last year, and a senior executive from Honda revealed to The Daily Telegraph last week that leaving the EU would damage the UK economy's emerging position as an export hub for the industry. Despite the headwinds that the euro crisis has generated for Britain over the past two years, supporters of the UK's membership point to the access it gives to the largest single market in the world. "The thought of a UK outside of Europe with different trade agreements - sorry, it's not the way forward," said BMW's Mr Robertson. Around the world, the biggest global trading blocs are getting bigger and we need to be part of one of them. The concern from the car makers echoes that of senior bankers in the City, who told The Sunday Telegraph last month that an exit from the EU could prompt foreign banks to reduce their operations in London. US and Japanese companies have long seen the UK as a gateway to Europe, as well as an important market in its own right. In today's Sunday Telegraph, Lord Wolfson, the chief executive of Next, writes that business has nothing to fear from a renegotiation. He says that the EU has created too much bureaucracy and too many regulations. The question of Britain's relationship with Europe is complicated by the expected push this year by the US and the EU to begin negotiations on a major free trade agreement between the regions. Mr Cameron is now expected to deliver his EU speech in the next few days. He is expected to stress that he would prefer Britain to stay in, but is prepared to contemplate leaving if there is no change in the relationship.