Economy

Bentley Motors has announced that it will proceed with the development of the Bentley SUV, the company’s fourth model line, at its Crewe facility from 2016. The SUV will create more than 1,000 jobs in the UK, with Bentley investing more than £800m in its headquarters at Crewe and the development of new models over the next three years.

SMMT’s weekly round-up, including all the latest news from UK automotive.

UK car manufacturing grew 1.1% in the first half of 2013, to 764,390 units.

A new research facility at Brunel University, which will help revolutionise manufacturing methods for UK car makers, has been announced today. as part of government’s £85 million investment in technologies to drive growth.

Total CV registrations dipped 4.7% in May to 24,149 units, but market remains up 8.3% for the year-to-date.

UK new car registrations grew 11% to 180,111 units in May.

Based on data which is preliminary in some cases, global demand for passenger vehicles increased 8% in April from the same month of last year.

Government has announced £12 million funding for 213 new low carbon buses to cut carbon emissions, encourage economic growth and provide better services for passengers. The move will come as a welcome boost to the UK bus sector where registrations are down almost 30% versus a strong 2012.

SMMT is today hosting a dedicated supply chain networking event in the West Midlands, bringing together around 25 vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers with over 150 UK-based automotive component companies to explore new business prospects and local sourcing opportunities.

SMMT forecasts new car and van registrations for the UK to 2014. The forecasts are prepared by the SMMT’s Economics Team and are revised on a quarterly basis.