United Kingdom auto manufacturers enjoy August boost

Chris Sumner, at robotics company FANUC United Kingdom, commented: ‘After the slowdown of United Kingdom vehicle production output in July, we’ve witnessed a resurgence in August.

“The United Kingdom automotive industry understands the concerns consumers may have following the actions of one manufacturer in regard to emissions testing and the subsequent decision to recall a large number of its cars”, states SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

‘That said, with an overall increase of 1.6 per cent so far in 2015 and the strongest year-to-date performance since 2008, the industry is in a good position’.

The SMMT said 1.01 million cars rolled off production lines over the first eight months of the year, driven by the rise in cars built for the domestic British market – a 1.6 percent increase on the same period the year before. This is a rise of 40.6% compared to previous year, but the increase is largely down to the timing of the summer shut down.

John Leech, at KPMG, said: ‘The resilience of United Kingdom vehicle manufacturing figures is apparent despite ongoing volatility in the global markets, and the high-profile challenges facing Volkswagen this week.

“Recent announcements for investment include Honda’s £200 million investment for the next generation of five-door Civic, Nissan’s investment to support production of the Q30 and QX30 models, alongside the nearly continuous investment by JLR in United Kingdom facilities”.

“On the whole this is not a reflection of a more widespread issue with export markets, as we are seeing positive growth in the rest of Europe – a major destination for United Kingdom exports”, he added. “Long-term, the United Kingdom should achieve its ambition of reaching record volumes within the next 24 months”.