Thursday January 22, 10:57 AM
British car production halves in December: trade data
LONDON (AFP) - Car production in Britain slumped by nearly half in December as manufacturers responded to sliding demand, industry body SMMT said on Thursday.
The number of cars made fell 47.5 percent last month compared with December 2007, while commercial vehicle production slumped 56.7 percent, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement.
The data meant that car production for the whole of 2008 was down 5.7 percent on 2007, while commercial vehicle production fell 5.9 percent.
"UK vehicle production figures for 2008 demonstrate both the strength of the sector and the very dramatic fall in demand in the last quarter," SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said.
"UK facilities are globally competitive with high productivity levels and hugely attractive model line-ups. Exports account for 75 percent of all UK vehicle production, serving more than 100 markets around the world."
Japanese carmaker Nissan announced this month it was cutting 1,200 jobs at its factory in Sunderland, northeast England, in response to falling global demand for new vehicles.
In Britain alone, new car sales dropped by more than 20 percent in December, leaving sales for the whole of 2008 down over 11 percent, according to recent data.
Across the European Union, car sales plunged eight percent in 2008 after the weakest sales for 15 years.
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