UK car production smashes a 17-year record with British factories building more than 1.6m motors in 2016 so far

A total of 1,613,495 units have been built in the UK already this year
That's almost 54,000 more than the entirety of 2015
British car factories have now surpassed a vehicle production record that's held since 1999
More cars were built in November than they have been in any year for 17 years
A massive 1.2 million vehicles have been exported for overseas markets

Published: 04:41 EST, 22 December 2016 | Updated: 07:14 EST, 22 December 2016

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Car production has surpassed a record high set in 1999 with British vehicle plants making over 1.6 million models in 2016.

November was a bumper month for UK motor makers, with almost 170,000 cars being built.

That's an increase of 12.8 per cent on November 2015 and the best eleventh month for 17 years.

Record vehicle production: UK car factories have made more than 1.6 million vehicles in the first 11 months of 2016 - that's surpassed a record that's stood for 17 years

Of the 169,247 cars that rolled off UK production lines last month, 135,502 were exported, the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders confirmed.

That means just 20 per cent of the motors made in the UK in November were crafted for British buyers.

But while 33,745 units for UK motorists make up just one in five of the cars built on these shores last month, that's an increase of 14 per cent compared to last November.

The new figures have quashed fears of a slowdown in production that were raised last month when output slowed for the first time in over a year.

Demand at home and abroad were both up, 14% and 12.5% respectively. But it's the latter increase that's been the driving force behind the record figures

So far in 2016 UK car plants have made 54,000 more models than they did in the whole of last year

There's no doubting that much of the recovery has come from overseas demand - the 12.5 per cent increase in exports last month means a record 1.2 million cars have been shipped abroad already in 2016.

In total, UK car factories have completed 1,613,495 motors with one month to spare in 2016 – that's nearly 56,000 more vehicles than the full year results for 2015.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, 'Made in Britain is a badge coveted by car buyers worldwide, and these latest figures highlight not just that international appeal but the fact that the UK is a globally competitive place to make cars.

'These latest results are the product of significant investments made over the past few years, but which will continue only if we can maintain the competitive trading conditions that have enabled the UK to become an automotive success story.'

The meteoric rise of car production has continued in November 2016, breaking a record that's held since 1999

More than 1.2 million cars have already been shipped abroad in 2016 - another new record

Stuart Apperley, director and head of UK automotive at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said the recent slowdown in domestic demand could see figures fall next year, however UK-based carmakers have plenty of new models to for release to tempt British buyers to place orders.

'This month's figures complete an impressive year for UK Automotive. Western European demand recovered in November, helping to maintain the UK's strong export performance, ' he said.

'The weakening of domestic consumer demand may lead to a slight drop off in production volumes next year, but if export markets continue to perform strongly it's unlikely to have too great an impact.

'Jaguar Land Rover and Honda have new models coming out in 2017, and Nissan is expected to ramp up production of its Infiniti brand. All of this will give UK production a boost.

'Going into 2017 the EU trading landscape still remains unclear. However, the sector has proved its robustness this year, despite the economic uncertainty the vote to leave the EU brought with it.'

Honda, which has been building vehicles in the UK for 22 years, also confirmed it has now built more than 100 million cars in a 53-year history.

The Japanese car maker, which has 34 factories spanning five continents, has been building cars in the UK since 1994 and the Swindon plant is currently the production hub for its Civic hatchback being made for the global market.