British car manufacturing fell in August as domestic and overseas demand for production declined, according to figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Some 103,232 vehicles left UK factories last month, a fall of 5.3%. Production for the domestic market dropped 4.4% to 26,594 units, while output for overseas customers was down 5.6% to 76,638. Some 1,106,285 vehicles have been produced in the first eight months of the year, an overall decline of 1.9%, and the domestic market for production has been down in seven out of eight months.
‘It’s common to see fluctuations during the summer months, as output varies according to the timing and duration of holiday factory shutdowns,’ said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. ‘However, the continuation of the longer term downward trend in domestic demand is a concern for production across the UK so it is vital for the future health of this sector that the current uncertainty around Brexit is removed and consumer and business confidence restored.’
This story is reprinted from material from SMMT, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
