LONDON (dpa-AFX) - UK car production declined in August after expanding for six straight months as factories were shut for planned maintenance, and they geared up to produce the next generation electric vehicles, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said Thursday.
Car output decreased 9.7 percent from a year ago in August, the SMMT said. Around 45,052 models were rolled off the factory lines.
Production for the domestic market registered a sharp contraction of 25.2 percent from a year ago, while output for export fell 5.5 percent.
Shipments to the US plunged 58.6 percent annually and that to China slid 24.5 percent. Exports to Japan decreased by 37.8 percent.
Meanwhile, the EU remained the UK's biggest global market with nearly six in 10 exports heading for the bloc.
The decline in production is not a cause for concern, SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said.
'With car manufacturers taking advantage of the summer holiday season to upgrade their plants, this is part of an ongoing commitment to deliver the next generation of electric vehicles, with a record number of these models already being made,' Hawes added.
Data showed that electrified vehicles, or EVs, represented about 36.6 percent of total car production in August.
During January to August, overall car production posted a double-digit growth of 11.8 percent. Production for both home and foreign markets climbed 2.5 percent and 14.4 percent, respectively.
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