Car output rose for the thirteenth consecutive month, up 22.2% in July and 15.1% for the year-to-date.
As exports continue to rise, with 82.2% of all cars produced in the UK ending up on foreign roads, there have been 875,998 cars made so far this year.
This is still some way behind the 1.7m vehicles manufactured in the UK during 2007 but the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) expects to return to pre-recession levels by 2014.
The forecast is based on current investment and output levels and sustained stability in Europe and predicts that UK output, boosted by factory investment from Nissan, JLR and Toyota, will soar to 2 million cars by 2015.
UK engine production was up 0.3% over the year, with a narrow 1.9% downturn in the month.
“Car manufacturing continued to perform well, with output up more than 22% for the month and 15% for the year-to-date,” said Paul Everitt, chief executive at SMMT. “While uncertainty in Europe remains a challenge, the £6bn investment committed to the UK in the last two years delivers long-term growth opportunities and the latest figures show that our products have enormous global appeal.”
