Output boost again for UK’s car factories
CAR MANUFACTURERS saw another bumper month in September, with production up by over 12,000 units, 9.9 per cent higher than the same month last year.
Figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show the dramatic improvement in the industry. The UK’s factories churned out 140,88 cars last month, pushing the sector’s rolling 12 month output to 1.5m for the first time since October 2008, before the UK’s recession began.
In 2013 so far, manufacturers had produced 1,125,433 cars, compared to fewer than a million in the same period of 2011.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Boosted by strong domestic demand, September’s 9.9 per cent rise in car manufacturing reinforces how the sector is one of the UK’s biggest success stories of recent years.”
Exports have also risen with domestic demand: 9.3 per cent more cars were traded overseas compared to 12 months ago. However, commercial vehicle (CV) production is still on a declining trend. Less than 7,000 CVs were manufactured in September, down by 27.5 per cent on the same month in 2012. Hawes blamed uncertainty in the Eurozone for at least part of the decline in production.