UK commercial vehicle manufacturing declined 7.8% year on year in 2019 to 78,270 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The automakers' lobby group said the output fall followed "a turbulent year for CV production, as model changeovers, variable fleet buying patterns and regulatory issues combined to affect production numbers".

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That led to output for the UK declining by 7% or 2,408 units.

Exports also dropped, down 8.4% to 46,110 vehicles.

Almost 60% of the vans, trucks, taxis and buses built in the UK in 2019 were exported, with 94.6% of those going to the EU, which is why the SMMT has been lobbying for a free trading relationship with the bloc after today's (23:00GMT 31 January) Brexit which marks the start of an 11-month transistion period when initial future trade deals must be agreed or the Uk reverts to WTO trade rules.

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Though Europe was the CV sector's biggest foreign customer, British built vehicles were shipped to at 57 other countries including 619 units to Israel, 299 to Australia and 168 to Hong Kong.

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The SMMT noted December finished 2019 on a positive not as new model production ramped up.

CV output last month rose 8.7% with export production rising by almost a third (30.5%).

However, continuing the trend seen in recent months, home market production declined 18.6%.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "With model changeovers now complete, we expect to see CV output bounce back this year, however, this is reliant on political and economic stability that supports domestic demand."

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