Car production in Britain continues to boom with 131,586 vehicles built in June, a 10.4% increase year-on-year.

In the first half of 2013 a total of 764,390 new cars have been built in the UK, a 1.1% improvement over the first half of 2012.

Given the woes in numerous car markets on mainland Europe, the proportion of those cars destined for export has declined from 82.7% to 78.7%, meaning almost 32,000 more cars were built for the UK market.

"Car output in the UK grew during the first half of 2013, up 1.1% building on a strong 2012 when manufacturing performed above pre-recession levels," said Mike Baunton, SMMT interim chief executive.

"Subdued demand in some European countries has held back production levels this year, but it is encouraging to see a significant rise in volumes destined for UK buyers.

" Our industry is building and developing innovative, high-quality products that appeal to a global customer base and because of this, independent analysts are confident that car output will grow in the long-term despite economic concerns on the continent."