UK car production grew for the second consecutive month in November, up 5.7% to 80,091 units, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “These figures bring some Christmas cheer to UK car makers in what has been another incredibly tough year.”
The rise means UK car manufacturing output has grown in six of the past seven months demonstrating how, even amid global chip shortages and supply chain constraints, factories are doing their best to meet demand for new cars at home and overseas.
Despite the overall rise in output, November’s performance was still down against historic levels, -44.1% off the pre-pandemic five-year average for the month and -25.7% off 2019’s total of 107,744 units.
This reflected the impact of Covid lockdowns overseas, recently in China, structural and product changes, the long-running squeeze on semiconductor supply and wider turmoil resulting from the war in Ukraine.