Latest statistics suggest UK car manufacturing is 'performing well'

Latest statistics suggest UK car manufacturing is 'performing well'

It appears that the UK car manufacturing industry is looking up. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have released statistics showing that car output is up 15.1% over the last year. In July itself, there was a 22.2% rise which is the 13th consecutive month with an improvement.

More detailed figures show that despite the overall improvement in car output some areas are still struggling slightly. Engine production has only been up 0.3% over the year, down 1.9% over the month. Similarly, commercial vehicle output is down 7.7% over the first seven months of the year although it has since stabilised over the last month.

Paul Everitt, SMMT's chief executive, who reaffirms the good performance, also said that the uncertainty in Europe still remains a challenge. He also added that these statistics suggest that UK products have significant global appeal and the £6bn investment committed to the UK in the last two years has long term growth opportunities.

However, the recent strong performance of the car manufacturing industry does not really reflect the overall UK manufacturing industry which as a whole is still declining, as stated by Philippa Oldham, head of manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

She voices hopes that the success of UK car manufacturing will motivate the government to pro-actively support the other manufacturing industries. This would require more co-operation, detailed strategy and better access to capital investment.

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