Six year high for UK car production

Six year high for UK car production

As well as seeing a six year high in the number of new car sales, 2013 also saw the highest amount of automobile production in the UK since 2007, according to statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

2013 saw a rise of 3.1% in the amount of cars being built and produced in the UK, passing the 1.5 million units mark. This is thought to be because of both domestic demand continuing to grow, and exports being steadily on the rise. The fast growing markets of China and the Middle East are snapping up British-built luxury cars such as those from Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover. But the largest car manufacturer in the UK is actually Nissan, and is experiencing rapid growth thanks to it's popular Qashqai, being produced in their thousands at their UK-based production facilities.

Indeed, recruitment at vehicle factories is on the up, as both qualified engineers and new apprentices are all required at the moment by multiple manufacturers. A number of carmakers, such as MINI and Jaguar Land Rover, are also injecting much cash into their existing factories, with their numbers predicting growth for the next few years.

Demand for UK-built cars is up throughout the world, with China being the biggest non-European market for vehicles from our shores. The United States has also seen strong demand for British cars, and the Russians are snapping up our luxury vehicles.

Keeping up the good news, the SMMT have shared their predictions for the next couple of years of production, stating that they forsee over 2 million vehicles being built in the UK by the beginning of 2017. This will put us in the top three car producing countries in the EU, and will, if predictions are met, be the best performance for a year since 1972.

The Chief Executive of the SMMT, Mike Hawes, commented: "UK automotive investment announcements exceeded £2.5 billion in 2013, reinforcing industry analysts' suggestions that the UK could break all-time car output records within the next four years."

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