Car production reaches six-year high

A total of 1,132,017 cars were produced in the UK in the period January to September

The first nine months of 2014 have been the best for car manufacturing for six years despite a slight dip in production last month.

A total of 1,132,017 cars were produced in the UK in the period January to September - a 0.6% rise on the same period last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

This was the best three-quarters figure since 2008 and came in spite of a 2.8% fall in car production in September as plants prepared for new models.

Production for export fell 8.1% last month, but home market production was up 17.7%.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "It is testament to the strength of the automotive industry that it continues to break records - yielding the best year-to-date performance for six years and comfortably surpassing one million units.

"The continued investment by the sector into new models means the September figures took a slight dip as some plants underwent re-tooling, but it is these same new models which will help increase production volumes in the future," Hawes added.