Production figures released today by the Office for National Statistics/SMMT show:
- Car production in November climbed three per cent to 142,920 units
- Production for export took a record 77.3 per cent of monthly output
- Year-to-date volumes rose 0.8 per cent
Christopher Macgowan, SMMT chief executive commented, ‘November’s excellent performance puts UK production well on track to reach the 1.65 million unit year-end forecast. Growth throughout 2003 has largely focused on production for export and with one month to go, its year-to-date figure already exceeds 2002’s year-end total. The continued growth clearly demonstrates the strength of UK manufacturing, setting an upward trend that is expected to continue into 2004.
Best November production volume since 1998
Provisional output data released today by the Office for National Statistics/SMMT show that:
- CV volume in November 2003 up 0.8 per cent on November 2002.
- Year to November down by 3.4 per cent on the same period in 2002.
SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said, ‘November’s CV output was back on par with the strong volume in 2002. The overall monthly change in output has been variable in 2003 with some months of growth and decline. However, the underlying annual total remains broadly stable around the 190,000 unit mark. Weak demand in Europe has blunted the export potential, but at home it has been consistently strong. This has helped plants to refocus some of their activities on the domestic market. We still expect to see some improvement in exports in 2004 as the modest recovery now underway in the EU takes a firmer hold. ‘
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