Of the 1.54 million cars built in Britain in 2007, 1.19 million were exported.

According to the latest SMMT figures, over 131,000 of the 216,000 commercial vehicles produce in the UK in 2007 were also sold abroad.

Meanwhile, year-on-year vehicle production rose 6.1 per cent to a total of 1.75 million units in 2007.

Commercial vehicle output reached its highest level in a decade as volumes rose by 3.8 per cent.
“Around 1.5 million cars and three million engines are produced in the UK each year, and these latest figures reinforce the UK's strength and breadth as a global manufacturing base,” said SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt.