- Car output in October rose 17.4% to 160,854 units, the largest monthly increase so far this year.
- 1,286,287 cars produced in year-to-date, a rise of 5.4%.
- Manufacturing for home market up significantly at 52.4%, while export growth strong at 11.4%.
- Around 50% of UK car exports go to Europe – after months of decline, EU demand shows signs of improving, now recording two consecutive months of growth.
“UK car manufacturing for the home market increased strongly in October raising the year’s performance 26.6% ahead of 2012,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “More than 15 brands build 50-plus models of car across the UK with volume and niche offerings providing a wealth of choice for our home and export markets. With European demand showing early signs of recovery, we expect production to continue positively in the coming months.”
CV manufacturing slide continues in October
- 7,825 commercial vehicles (CV) produced in October, a decline of 33.8%.
- Output for 2013-to-date down 19.9% to 75,484 units.
- Bus and truck manufacturing is bright spot, but overall outlook remains gloomy for the rest of the year.
“The downward trend in CV production continued in October, given continually low levels of demand across the EU combined with structural and model changes in the UK,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “Despite some areas of good news, with UK bus and truck manufacturing growing in the month, the domestic CV manufacturing outlook remains negative for the rest of the year.”
Strong October drives engine production over two million units for the year
- UK engine output grows 6.5% in October to 254,480 units.
- 2,172,775 engines built in 2013, representing a steady 2.4% growth.
- Production for domestic market fuels growth, while exports remain steady in month and year-to-date.
Click through to download the full UK automotive manufacturing news release for October 2013.
If you use these figures in online editorial, please reference www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/ as the source.