UK commercial vehicle (CV) production almost doubled in February 2024, with 12,927 vans, trucks, taxis, buses and coaches leaving factory lines, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The 98.4% year on year volume rise was the best February performance since 2008 but followed a particularly weak February 2023 as supply chain issues, notably semiconductor shortages, impacted output.

February’s production boost was driven by significant demand for exports which rose 188% to 10,011 units, accounting for 77.4% of the month's production. The EU took 97.6% of output. UK demand fell for the second consecutive month, by 4% to 2,916 units. February is traditionally a slow month ahead of the 1 March 'year identifier' registration plate change.

Year to date production was up 56.4% to 24,683 units with exports up 104.5% to 17,976 while output for the home market slipped 279 to 6,707 units.