UK car manufacturing up in October but CV slide continues

The SMMT has released figures showing that in October domestic demand supported the biggest monthly increase in 2013 UK car manufacturing

Car output in October rose 17.4 per cent to 160,854 units, the largest monthly increase so far this year. 1,286,287 cars have been produced in the year-to-date; a rise of 5.4 per cent.

Manufacturing for the home market was up significantly at 52.4 per cent, while export growth was strong at 11.4 per cent. Around 50 per cent of UK car exports go to Europe – after months of decline, EU demand shows signs of improving, now recording two consecutive months of growth.

“UK car manufacturing for the home market increased strongly in October, raising the year’s performance 26.6 per cent ahead of 2012,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “More than 15 brands build 50-plus models of car across the UK with volume and niche offerings providing a wealth of choice for our home and export markets. With European demand showing early signs of recovery, we expect production to continue positively in the coming months.”

October CV production down

The situation regarding manufacture of commercial vehicles, however, is a different story, with 7,825 commercial vehicles (CV) produced in October; a decline of 33.8 per cent. Output for 2013-to-date is down 19.9 per cent to 75,484 units. Bus and truck manufacturing is a bright spot, but the overall outlook remains gloomy for the rest of the year.

“The downward trend in CV production continued in October,” said Mike Hawes, adding: “Despite some areas of good news, with UK bus and truck manufacturing growing in the month, the domestic CV manufacturing outlook remains negative for the rest of the year.”