Driving ambition: Britain building more cars

The number of cars built in Britain leapt by almost 10 per cent last month, boosted by strong export demand.

News of the strong year-on-year rise came yesterday as General Motors confirmed that the new Vauxhall Astra would be built at Ellesmer Port in the UK, above, helping to secure and create hundreds of jobs. There were 94,352 cars produced last month, an increase of 9.3 per cent on April 2011. For the first four months of the year, the rise was 11.8 per cent.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the figures showed that the UK remained one of the most competitive countries for car makers. Almost half a million cars were built in the first four months of the year, with more than 400,000 bound for export. The number of engines built rose 1.2 per cent last month to 192,408, while commercial vehicle production lifted 3.2 per cent to almost 9,000.

SCOTT REID