The UK manufactured 128,886 vehicles this July, a year-on-year increase of 20.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Car production grew by 22.2 per cent to 119,882 units, while commercial vehicle and engine output declined by 1.3 per cent and 1.9 per cent to 9,004 units and 180,109 units, respectively.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of SMMT, said:

Car manufacturing continued to perform well, with output up more than 22 per cent for the month and 15 per cent for the year-to-date. While uncertainty in Europe remains a challenge, the £6bn investment committed to the UK in the past two years delivers long-term growth opportunities and the latest figures show that our products have enormous global appeal.