The UK’s commercial vehicle manufacturers are continuing to bounce back and reported a 36.8% increase in output in April, according to the latest figures from the SMMT. This was was another strong performance, although less than the 43.3% gain seen in March.

CV manufacturing output rose to 8,629 units last month, up from 6,307 in April 2014. The gains mean that CV output has risen by 23.6% so far this year. This increase has been powered by a combination of strong home demand and a long-awaited recovery in export demand from other European countries:

Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)

The 50% increase in export demand in April is particularly significant, as CV registrations have only risen by 13% in the EU so far this year. Given that most UK vehicle exports go to Europe, this suggests that UK van and truck manufacturers are gaining market share in the competitive EU market.

However, before you get too excited about this remarkable recovery, consider this graph. UK CV output has not even recovered to 2013 levels yet, let alone those seen in 2011:

UK CV output 2009-2015 year-to-date (courtesy of SMMT)

Still, this year’s gains are really good news for the UK automotive industry and the wider economy.  Let’s hope they continue.