UK car manufacturers bounce back after slump in September
CARMAKERS bounced back in October, with the number of vehicles rolling off production lines rising by 6.4 per cent during the month.
Britain produced 148,927 cars and commercial vehicles last month, a strong rise to help reverse a blip in September when output fell seven per cent, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The rise came in the same month that Ford said it plans to close its factories in Southampton and Dagenham.
In the year to date, production is up 8.4 per cent on a year ago, with a 9.7 per cent rise in car output offsetting a 6.1 per cent fall in commercial vehicles.
The number of cars being exported rose 4.7 per cent to 116,899, with exports of commercial vehicles up one per cent to 6,556 in the month.
Cars made for domestic sale are also on the rise, though from a lower base, increasing 18.1 per cent in the month to 20,129.
Overall production remains below 2008 levels, with barely half the pre-recession number of commercial vehicles being made.