Car manufacturing in Britain reached its highest level in 17 years during March earlier this year. In this month alone, car makers in Britain produced 170,691 models.
This is all according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which also says that export demand helped the UK increase car production by 7.3 per cent compared to March last year.
During March this year, 130,838 of the cars produced were exported, representing a 10.6 per cent increase on the previous month.
In the first three months of 2017, the UK has produced 471,695 new cars, which is 33,305 more than produced at this point last year – meaning a 7.6 per cent increase. While there has been a decline in the number of cars produced for the UK itself (a 4.3 per cent decrease), this has been offset by the increase in overseas demand.
The chief executive of SMMT, Mike Hawes, said: “UK car manufacturing is accelerating thanks to billions of pounds of investment committed over the past few years.
"A large proportion are the latest low emission diesels and it’s essential for future growth and employment that we encourage these newer, cleaner diesels onto UK roads and avoid penalising consumers who choose diesel for its fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.”
Hawes added: “Much of our output goes to Europe and it’s vital we maintain free trade between the UK and EU or we risk destroying this success story.”