8:51 am, June 19, 2014
UK car production fell almost 10 per cent in May, figures just released reveal.
The precise figure was 9.8 per cent with a total of 116,655 units built during the month. Production time was lost to spring shutdowns at some plants.
The year-to-date picture is still positive however, with 654,895 cars produced so far in 2014 – a 3.5 per cent growth rate.
Demand for new cars in EU continues to increase, with May marking nine consecutive monthly rises.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, confirmed: ‘UK car manufacturing fell 9.8 per cent in May, as some plants instigated spring shutdowns during the month.
‘The prospects for the coming months and years, however, are still bright; new UK-built models will benefit from growing demand across Europe, while significant investments in UK manufacturing operations are moving closer to production readiness.’
