Car Production YoY

UK Car Production is the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) count of cars built in the UK, reported as units and YoY change. SMMT, the UK motor industry body, compiles it from reports sent directly by manufacturers at a consistent set of UK sites. It covers total, home and export output with year-to-date totals, the electrified mix and export markets. It counts units only, not turnover, gross value added (GVA) or registrations (domestic sales).

Each release covers the preceding calendar month and appears about 4 weeks later on pre-announced dates. Car figures stay under embargo until 00:01, while commercial vehicle figures follow at 10:00. Tables show month and YTD units with YoY change for total, home and export, plus export share, electrified mix and top export markets.

A chief executive quote accompanies each release, commercial vehicle and engine output appear in separate reports, and detailed make and model data go to members. August runs low on summer shutdowns, model changeovers can shift volumes between months, and the publisher states no revision rule or target.

Exports usually drive the headline, while the electrified mix and destinations add context.

• Total car production: It captures all cars built in the UK in the month, the headline unit count.
• Home production: It captures cars built for the UK market, reported as units and YoY change.
• Export production: It captures cars built for overseas markets, reported as units and YoY change, with export share of total.
• Year to date production: It captures cumulative January-to-month units for total, home and export, giving trend context.
• Electrified mix: It captures combined battery electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) output and its share of total.
• Export destinations: It captures shipments by overseas market, with shares and growth rates for markets such as the EU, US, Turkey, China and Japan.

Data published November 30, 2023 for October 2023 showed output up 31.6% to 91,512 units, the best October since 2019 and the eighth growth month. Exports drove it, up 33.4% against 23.9% for home, with 82.3% of cars, or 75,343 units, shipped abroad and 16,178 kept in the UK. The EU took 65.2% of exports after 58.5% growth, the US stayed second, and Turkey rose almost fourfold past China and Japan. Electrified output rose 52.1% to 40.1% and YTD reached 751,422 units, up 16.7%, with 1,008,000 cars and light vans, up 18.0%, pending battery origin rules.

1. Collect reports: Gather each member factory report for the calendar month, sent directly by the manufacturer.
2. Count units: Count each vehicle as one unit with no price adjustment, since output is nominal.
3. Apply no adjustments: Use no weights and no seasonal adjustment or deflation.
4. Aggregate splits: Add reports into total, home and export, plus January-to-month YTD sums.
5. Year-on-year comparison: Compare each count with the same month one year earlier: this year minus last year, divided by last year, times 100.
6. Worked example: 82,000 units against 80,000 one year earlier gives (82,000 minus 80,000) divided by 80,000 times 100, or +2.5%. Export output of 52,000 against 50,000 gives +4.0%, and its share is 52,000 divided by 82,000 times 100, about 63.4%. The same year-on-year formula applies to year-to-date spans.