Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan top UK production as record output beckons.
Land Rover production Line Image: Jaguar Land Rover |
According to research from consultants LMC Automotive, the UK is was on target to have built 1.74m cars by the end of 2016, with the number supported by the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) stats.
With just one month remaining, the SMMT reported output of 1.61m cars, boosted by a 13% year-on-year rise in November alone more than 169,000 units.
With total output for 2015 of 1.59m, national production was already ahead and already the highest since 2004.
If LMC's predictions are correct, 2016 will see the biggest number of units made since the start of the Millennium, although there are warnings that the Brexit cloud currently hanging over the UK could dampen future production.
Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover and Japan-based Nissan accounted for almost two thirds of UK outbuild, but the potential threat of tarffis being imposed on car exports could have a significant impact on those companies' decisions on the location for new model production.
According to SMMT boss, Mike Hawes: "These latest results are the product of significant investments made over the past few years [and will continue] only if we can maintain the competitive trading conditions that have enabled the UK to become an automotive success story."