UK manufacturers produced more cars in October but output remains well below pre-pandemic levels, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
New figures show that 69,524 cars rolled off production lines last month, an increase of 7.4% compared with October 2021. The number of cars produced for the UK market was up 12.5% and the number made for overseas markets rose by 6.3%.
This followed a fall in September after four consecutive months of growth, illustrating how global chip shortages and other supply chain issues are continuing to affect UK car manufacturers.
Output in October was still down 48.4% compared with 134,669 cars produced the same month in 2019, and 52.8% off the five-year pre-Covid average for the month.
More than eight in 10 (81.2%) cars made were sent overseas, equivalent to 56,469 vehicles, while 13,055 were destined for the domestic market.
Export growth was led by rising shipments to the US (26.4%), Japan (6.0%), South Korea (68.7%), Australia (125.4%) and Turkey (1298.7%), although the total volumes to these markets remain comparatively small. The majority of cars (54.9%) heading overseas went into the European Union, even though exports to the bloc declined by 2.7%.
UK production of battery electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) cars rose by a fifth (20.3%) to a total of 24,115. In the year to date, UK car factories have produced a record 61,339 BEVs, up 16.2% on the same period in 2021.
Welcoming October’s growth, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Getting the sector back on track in 2023 is a priority, given the jobs, exports and economic contribution the automotive industry sustains.
“UK car makers are doing all they can to ramp up production of the latest electrified vehicles, and help deliver net-zero, but more favourable conditions for investment are needed and needed urgently — especially in affordable and sustainable energy and availability of talent — as part of a supportive framework for automotive manufacturing.”
