LONDON: Three cars were built in the UK every minute over the first six months of the year, the best half-year output since 2008, new figures have shown.
A total of 793,642 cars were built between January and June, up by 0.3% on a year ago, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The figure for June was 143,759, an increase of 5.4% on the same month last year, with production for the export market, which rose 9%, outperforming that for the domestic market, which fell 7.1%, in a reversal of the trend seen in previous months. However, exports remain the backbone of the British car making industry, with eight out of ten cars made in the UK sold overseas.
Production volumes are up more than 50% since 2009 and “significant” investments are planned, with new models set to hit production lines in the coming months, showing the UK car industry growing on a global scale, said the SMMT. Nissan, Toyota, General Motors, Bentley, Mini, Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin are among the carmakers with significant operations in the UK.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “The sector is ahead of the game on productivity, with investment in efficient, hi-tech manufacturing processes and a highly skilled workforce resulting in huge gains over the past decade.
This success has been built on significant industry investment and has also relied on a positive relationship with government, essential if the industry is to maintain its international competitiveness.”
