UK sees 21% rise in cars made for home market

However, the number of cars produced for export falls 9% in February

There has been a big rise in the number of cars manufactured in the UK for the domestic market in the early part of this year.

A total of 33,813 cars were manufactured for the home market last month, a 21.1% rise on the February 2014 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) announced.

However, a 9.2% dip in production for export meant the total number of cars made in the UK last month slipped 2.9% to 129,915.

So far this year, UK car production has reached 257,300 - a 2.0% fall on the first two months of 2014. Export production is down 7.8% but production for the home market is up 20.4%.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "The outlook for the car manufacturing sector continues to be upbeat. More than a quarter of a million cars have been made in Britain so far this year - a steady performance, which has been led by a strong domestic market."

He went on: "The UK's appetite for British-built cars has consistently grown, with the number of cars produced for the home market increasing 51.9% since 2011.

"However, political instability abroad has hit certain export areas which will invariably have a small impact on total output."

The SMMT also announced that commercial vehicle (CV) production had risen 33.7% in February 2015 to 8,344 units.

The big increase has taken total CV production for January and February 2015 to 13,787 - a 6.5% rise on the figure for the first two months of last year.

Hawes said: "The surge in output from UK commercial vehicle manufacturers in February has put the sector on a strong footing for the year ahead."