UK car production rose by 1% to 131,079 units in July and is was up by 6.9% to 955,670 units year-to-date.

While car production saw a slight increase, commercial vehicle production saw a massive increase.

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: "Commercial vehicle production saw exceptional growth of 50% in July 2008.

"The 2002-2006 average for the month is around the 15,000 mark, so 21,000 is well above the norm. The growth comes from high demand for products from eastern Europe, and indications are that this strong performance will last through 2008."