As more and more car manufacturers move to cut production levels the figures for September from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that 4.9 per cent more vehicles have been produced in the UK so far in 2008 compared with this time last year.
In September there was a 2.5 per cent month-on-month rise in production made up of a 2.4 per cent rise in cars and a 10 per cent rise in commercial vehicles. This rise must be balanced in the context of the production figures from August though, when there was an 18.6 per cent fall in production.
SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt gave a positive summary of the grand picture. “UK production continues to demonstrate its strength and resilience with output up 2.5% in September. We already know that production is being scaled back to reflect demand in global markets and we will see this more clearly in the months ahead,” he said.
“It is essential that government works with industry to protect vital manufacturing capability. This includes measures to support domestic demand and sustain longer-term investment in skills and new technology,” added Everitt.
Over 74 per cent of the vehicles made in the UK this year have been exported, reports the SMMT, with just over a million having been shipped overseas so far in 2008. The latter figure constitutes a six per cent rise on the numbers from this time last year. Almost 350,000 cars have been both made and sold here in the UK.
