Car production rises by 44 per cent

Car production accelerated ahead again last month, rising 44 per cent compared with April 2009. A total of 98,290 cars were made in the UK in April 2010, with the increase emphasising just how deeply in recession the motor industry was in the first months of last year.

Commercial vehicle (CV) production also rose sharply, up 40.8 per cent to 10,777, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Car production for the year so far is 64.9 per cent up on the January-April 2009 total, while CV production in the first four months is 44.3 per cent up. Car production for the home market rose 150.5 per cent, while CV production for the home market rose 102.4 per cent.

The SMMT's chief executive, Paul Everitt, said the April figures reflected "a good start to the second quarter". He said: "A number of UK product launches and the introduction of new technologies are helping to sustain demand despite an expected slowdown following the end of the scrappage scheme."