Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, has announced that the number of UK-built cars exported to India has increased nine-fold since 2009, with 2,836 British-built cars sold in the country in 2014.
Much of this growth has been driven by demand for the UK’s premium and luxury vehicles. With India’s middle class set to quadruple over the next decade and the country’s new vehicle market expected to be worth £64 billion by 2020, demand for new cars in India is on course to boom over the coming years. The nine-fold increase in UK car exports to the nation and global reputation for high quality engineering demonstrate that the UK is well placed to take advantage of these opportunities.
Mike Hawes made the announcement while attending ACMA Automechanika New Delhi, India’s leading international automotive trade fair. The SMMT Chief Executive attended a panel discussion on the Indian automotive aftermarket to give an international perspective on the component supply chain. A number of UK automotive companies also exhibited their latest products and services in the UK Pavilion hosted at the show.
The increase in UK imports is a trend that has been seen across the Asia region, with exports to the continent more than trebling in the last five years. More than 220,000 cars were exported to Asia in 2014, which is now the UK automotive industry’s largest export market after Europe with 18.5% of all UK-produced cars destined for the region.
For more information on the Indian automotive industry take a look at our Focus on: India feature.
