UK Car Production Grows 5.6% In July: SMMT

(RTTNews) - UK car production expanded for the second straight month in July, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, or SMMT, said Thursday.

Car production climbed 5.6 percent yearly to 69,127 units in July, data showed.

Meanwhile, commercial vehicle output plunged 81.1 percent, reflecting plant restructuring and a bumper month last year, when the sector recorded the best July in 17 years. As a result, total vehicle production declined 10.8 percent to 72,006 units in July.

Car production for both domestic and export markets improved, rising 13.6 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively. 

The EU remained the largest market for UK car exports, taking 45.6 percent, followed by the US and China with 18.1 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.

"It remains a turbulent time for automotive manufacturing, with consumer confidence weak, trade flows volatile, and massive investment in new technologies underway both here and abroad," Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said.

 "Given this backdrop, another month of growing car output is good news—signalling the sector's underlying resilience in the face of intense global competition."