UK car production increased by 31.6% in July, marking sixth consecutive months of growth.
New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 76,451 units rolled off factory lines during the month, compared with 58,074 in July 2022, as car makers continued to recover from recent challenges including global chip shortages.
Despite this growth, however, output was still 29.4% lower than in July 2019, before the pandemic.
More than eight in ten (82.8%) cars made in the UK were shipped overseas, with a majority destined for the EU, US, China, Japan and Australia.
Hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles accounted for almost two in every five cars made in July, with a combined output of 30,180 units, up 73.9% year-on-year. Since January, more than 200,000 of these vehicles have been produced in the UK, almost double the amount made in the same period last year.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said that with six months of growth and electrified models increasingly driving volumes, the future is more positive for the industry.
Hawes added, however, that global competition remains tough: “If we are to attract further investment and produce the next generation of zero emission models and technologies, we need a coherent strategy that builds on our strengths and supports all aspects of advanced automotive manufacturing.”
Total UK car production is forecast to reach around 860,000 units this year, up 10.9% on 2022, but it could take five more years for annual production to return to the million mark.
