HC Deb 26 November 1973 vol 865 cc6-7W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will give the latest available figures for 1973 of the production of cars and commercial vehicles ; and what are the figures of new registrations of these

PRODUCTION, NEW REGISTRATIONS AND EXPORTS OF CARS AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
January-October 1973
Cars Commercial vehicles
Total production*of which … No. 1,436,626 345,337
for home … No. 940,471 216,934
for export … No. 496,155 128,403
Total new registrations†(including imported vehicles) … No. 1,499,068 260,269
Total exportst‡ … No. 494,723 134,740
… £'000 311,462 177,498
* A fuller analysis is available in the Press Notice published on 22nd November, a copy of which has been deposited in the Library.
† The figures are provisional and correspond respectively to those for the categories of "Private cars and vans" and "Goods vehicles" together with "Public transport vehicles" in the Press Notice published on 22nd November by the Department of the Environment. A copy has been deposited in the Library.
‡ Figures given are from Overseas Trade Statistics tabulations available from Customs and Excise.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, in view of the fact that in 1970 there were 1.641 million cars and 0.458 million commercial vehicles produced, and of this number 0.690 million cars and 0.172 million commercial vehicles were exported and that by 1972 the figures were 1.921 million cars and 0.408 million commercial vehicles, of which only 0.627 million cars were exported and 0.140 million commercial vehicles, he will take action designed to reverse this trend.

Mr. Anthony Grant

Although the proportion of vehicles exported as a percentage of total output fell between 1970 and 1972, in money terms the small reduction in the value of exports over this period was much more than offset by increased exports of parts and components. Cars and commercial vehicles to a value of £507 million were exported in 1970, and to a value of £505 million in 1972. Over the same period, the value of parts and components exported rose by nearly £100 million.