Exports of British car to China have increased fivefold since 2009, according to figures released today by a British industry body, driven by a demand for luxury brands such as Rolls-Royce and Jaguar.
The number of cars manufactured in Britain and exported to China stood at 137,410 in 2014, a 14.5 percent increase on the previous year and five times the number shifted in 2009, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement.
British car exports to all destinations have increased by 54 percent since 2009 to 1.2 million vehicles in 2014, and the sector represented 11.2 per cent of all British exports last year, a new record.
The health of the British motor industry has not escaped the notice of Prime Minister David Cameron, who goes to the polls seeking re-election on May 7 and praised the sector’s performance during a visit to a Rolls-Royce plant yesterday.
Michael Carnell is the editor and founder of the Just British Online Motoring Magazine. As a lifelong British car enthusiast, he has owned or driven British cars of all ages from Austins and MGs to Jaguars and Triumphs. He currently owns a 1966 Vanden Plas Princess 1100 and a 1977 MGB. But there is always room for more - no matter what his wife says.
