UK car production UP in April by almost 10% thanks to big jump in exports

Car production in the UK rose by 9.9 per cent in April 2023, driven by a 14.7 per cent increase in cars built for export.

As the woes of the post-Covid fallout ease, and even Jaguar Land Rover seems to be able to find enough chips to build their cars, UK car production has been on the rise in the last couple of months – and April was no different.

In fact, April 2023 saw an impressive 9.9 per cent rise in car production, with 66,527 cars rolling out of factory gates in the UK, 5,937 more than in April 2022.

The big majority of the new cars headed for export, and the 14.7 per cent increase in exports, with 58.5 per cent heading for the EU and exports to the US and Australia rising by 36.2 per cent and 226.8 per cent respectively, although exports to China were down by 3.6 per cent. Cars built for the UK market fell by 8.3 per cent.

As is currently the way, with a looming ICE ban in 6.5 years and a beady eye on emissions, car makers in the UK turned out a chunky number of electrified cars, with HEV, PHEV and BEV models accounting for 37.7 per cent of all production.

Mike Hawes, SMMT boss, said:

UK car production is starting to motor again, good news for the sector and the many thousands of jobs and livelihoods it sustains. These figures also show how exports, particularly to Europe, continue to be the foundation of British automotive manufacturing.