Figures were up 13.3% or 62,284 units, the organization said. Production for overseas and do-mestic markets increased by 8.9% and 39.5% respectively.
However, output remains 46.3% below the same period of 2019, due to ongoing supply chain issues, increasing economic uncertainty, rising business costs and disruption caused by the war in Ukraine.
The SMMT said that there was an increase in output of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). BEVs increased by 108.3%, while 22.6% of all cars built last month was alternatively fuelled, up from 19.3% last year.
“May’s return to growth for UK car output is hugely welcome after 10 months of decline, indicat-ing the sector’s fundamental resilience,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. “Any recov-ery, however, will be gradual as supply chain deliveries remain erratic, business costs volatile and geopolitical instability still very real.”
