© Reuters. New cars for sale in a showroom in Cheshire, UK, in this photo from the Reuters archive.
(Reuters) – Britain’s Motor Manufacturers and Traders Association said on Friday that British car production rose 7.4% in October from a year earlier, driven mainly by higher exports of luxury and specialty models to the European Union .
The union added that 69,524 cars were built in Britain in October, more than in the same month last year, but still 48.4% below 2019 levels.
The union said British automakers were still impacted by global chip shortages and supply chain problems.
“A return to increased UK car production in October is welcome, even if production remains well below pre-Covid levels due to disrupted component supplies,” said Mike Howes, chief executive of the consortium.
“Getting the sector back on track in 2023 is a priority given the jobs, exports and economic contribution the auto industry is making,” he added.
The Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Traders said that a large part of the production, about 81 percent, in October went abroad, mainly to the European Union, while a smaller part went to countries such as the United States, Australia and Turkey.
UK car factories have produced a record 61,339 battery electric cars a year to date, an increase of 16.2% on the same period in 2021.
(Prepared by Ali Khafaji for the Arab Bulletin)
