UK Production By Make : 2013

Nissan Juke assembly Sunderland

Provisional figures for UK production are now here. Total car making was up 3.1%, despite a poor December of minus 15.9%. (That low finish to the year was due to new large volume models being introduced in 2014). The total year figure was the best since 2007, good considering Europe's depressed market.

It may push the UK past France to become third largest car maker. As it happens I find this quite irrelevant, for two reasons. One is that France makes many commercial vehicles, while Britain's CV production is poor and getting more so. The second is car making countries don't actually compete against each other in some sort of numbers game anyway. What it does show is that the UK has benefitted from a flexible workforce environment.

Jaguar assembly Castle Bromwich, Birmingham

Below are the numbers which as mentioned are provisional. The Bentley one is a guess, but not far off the mark I am sure.

	2013	2012	+/-	Comment
Nissan	501,756	510,572	-2%	2nd best ever
Land Rover	340,290	305,467	11%	Best ever
Toyota	179,245	109,429	64%	Best since 2008
MINI	174,948	207,530	-16%	Worst since 2003
Honda	138,798	165,630	-16%	Average
Jaguar	78,562	55,916	41%	Best since 2005
Vauxhall	73,502	90,187	-19%	Worst since 1981
Bentley	10,000	9,108	10%	Maybe best ever
Others	12,661	11,067	14%
Total	1,509,762	1,464,906	3%	Best since 2007

Summary: Overall good, but a mixed bag. GM's European sales volume rationalisation affected Vauxhall. The new MINI for 2014 slowed production at Cowley, Oxford. Land Rover just goes from best year to best year. Jaguar is an a roll and Toyota benefitted from the Auris and it's hybrid option. With new models coming, we can expect 2014 to be higher again for car making in the UK. Good news for Europe.

Land Rover production site at Halewood, c. Liverpool