UK car production improving but still below pre-pandemic levels

Since January, factories have produced an additional 47,037 units, which has been driven by exports that have risen 13.6 per cent to 359,940 units. Volumes for the UK rose 4.5 per cent to 90,228 units. However, year-to-date output remains -32.5 per cent below 2019 levels.

Production of hybrid electric (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were up 71.6 per cent from January to June to 170,231 units, representing 37.8 per cent of all cars produced so far this year.

The European Union (EU) remains the UK’s largest export market, accounting for 59.5 per cent of all British car shipments, which is up 11.2 per cent to 214,017 units on a year-to-date basis.

The US, China, Japan and Australia are the top global export territories for UK cars, followed by Turkey, South Korea, Canada, the UAE and Mexico. Shipments to most rose, apart from those to the US, down -0.1 per cent and China, which fell -6.4 per cent. Some of these key overseas markets are members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to which the UK is now a party, and who have taken a cumulative 9.6 per cent of UK car exports so far this year.