U.K. Year-to-Date Car Output Up Despite November Slip

U.K. car production fell 3.6% in November to 137,624 units as a number of automakers prepared their production lines for new models.

But the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) says production rose 4.5% in first 11 months of the year to 1,424,023 units and is on track to top 1.5 million for the first time in six years.

“The forthcoming new models will play an integral part in what is predicted to be an even stronger 2014 for U.K. car manufacturing,” SMMT CEO Mike Hawes says in a statement.

The November build for the home market rose 0.9% to 21,714 units, while the export book fell 4.4% to 115,910. Output for the domestic market climbed 24.2% over the first 11 months to 293,292 units while export shipments edged up 0.3% to 1,130,731.

Commercial-vehicle output fell 35.7% in November to 7,061 units for an 11-month total down 21.5% to 82,535 units, with SMMT predicting CV manufacturing volumes will remain modest until mid-2014.

“Ongoing weak European demand and changes to U.K. manufacturing operations impacted commercial-vehicle production in November,” Hawes says.

“While we expect the downward trend to continue for a few months yet, CV manufacturing in the U.K. has a solid base from which to build with more than 200 vans, trucks and buses rolling off domestic production lines every day.”

SMMT data shows exports fueled a strong November for engine production as output rose for a third straight month, up 3.4% to 231,371 units. That left the year-to-date total up 2.5% from prior-year to 2,404,146.

The build for the domestic market eased 1.3% for the month to 90,215 units, but this was more than offset by a 6.6% rise in export production to 141,156.

After 11 months, the engine build for the home front was up 9.5% to 972,357 units, but exports slipped 1.7% to 1,431,789.