Six-year car industry high good for the UK, says SG Petch

UK car manufacturing is reported to have hit a six-year high in 2013

With upwards of 1.5 million cars built, 2013 is reported to have been a six-year best for the UK car manufacturing industry, even outstripping figures seen in 2007 before the financial crisis happened.

The figures were celebrated by The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), who pointed to a ‘surge' in demand in the UK and abroad. According to the figures a vehicle in the UK is manufactured every 20 seconds.

With vehicle production rising by 3.1% for 2013, experts now expect that a record level output of 2 million will be reached by 2017.

The figures for 2013 make the UK one of Europe's top car manufacturers, third only to Germany and Spain.

Nissan were responsible for manufacturing the most cars in 2013 with more than half a million built, while Land Rover and Toyota followed with 340,000 and 179,000 cars created respectively.

Vince Cable, Business Secretary, said that an appetite for British cars around the world was behind the growth in the British car industry:

"Today's figures are another sign that the British car industry is going from strength to strength, with one vehicle rolling off a production line somewhere in the UK every 20 seconds.

"Our success lies in the appetite from countries around the world for British cars.

"Around 80% of the 1.5 million cars we produced last year were exported - a testament to the diverse, high quality of British manufacturing."

One of the UK's largest car parts suppliers, SG Petch, frequently comments on car manufacturing and car issues, and they believe that recent UK growth in car manufacturing is only the beginning. A spokesperson for SG Petch said:

"There's been huge growth in the UK car industry in recent years and all the evidence suggests that the momentum isn't going to slow anytime soon.

"The manufacturing industry in this country is really starting to hit its stride again. We would be very surprised if by 2017 the UK car manufacturing industry isn't creating 2 million cars each year."

SG Petch sells car parts and new and used cars.

"At SG Petch we're very much a part of the UK car industry, being that we're one of the UK's biggest suppliers of genuine car parts and cars. What we've noticed is that despite the fact there are so many new cars being created and sold in the UK market each year, there's still a growing appetite for car parts, which is more good news for manufacturers.

"So it's not only cars that the big manufacturers are making, they're also creating replacement car parts in large numbers, and that's also benefiting the economy."

For more information on car parts visit the SG Petch parts website at www.sgpetchparts.co.uk.

For quotes contact Jon Wright on 01325 488886 or jonwright@sgpetch.com.