UK car manufacturers shrug off summer lull with 16.2pc growth
THE BUOYANT car manufacturing industry in the UK is still going from strength to strength, with another strong increase recorded in August.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), UK manufacturers built 91,282 cars last month, over 12,000 more than in August last year, an increase of 16.2 per cent.
Both domestic and international markets saw robust growth, with home manufacturing up 21.1 per cent and cars allocated for export up by 14.8 per cent.
The SMMT’s Mike Hawes said: “Despite August typically being one of the year’s quietest months due to summer breaks, the past 12 months have been the most productive since late 2008.”
However, commercial vehicle manufacturing bucked the overall sector trend, taking a hit in August, down by 51.4 per cent against the same month in 2012. The SMMT attributed the fall to ongoing damage to the European market that commercial vehicle manufacturers rely on.