UK vehicle manufacturing soars 20% in July
16 August 2012
UK car output rose for the 13th consecutive month, up 22.2% in July and 15.1% for the year-to-date, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
SMMT's Paul Everitt
Commercial vehicle output output stabilised down 1.3% in the month with a 7.7% fall for the first seven months, while 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, SMMT Chief Executive. "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."
Philippa Oldham, head of manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said the rise in UK car manufacturing figures was "very welcome" and shows that the UK can still be a manufacturing powerhouse.
"But while some industries like car and aerospace manufacturing are bucking the trend and seeing strong growth, recent figures show that UK manufacturing as a whole is still shrinking," she warns. "The success of UK car manufacturing should motivate government to take urgent action to support manufacturing so that we can see other industries become UK success stories."
The SMMT figures can be viewed here.