THREE cars were built in the UK every minute in the first six months of the year after the best half-yearly production output since 2008, new figures have shown.

A total of 793,642 cars were built between January and June, up by 0.3 per cent on a year ago, reported the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

About a third of the cars were produced by Nissan, in Sunderland, which is on track to make more than 500,000 vehicles for the fourth year running.

The figure for June was 143,759, an increase of 5.4 per cent on the same month last year, with production for export (up nine per cent) outperforming that for the domestic market (down 7.1 per cent) - a reversal of the trend seen in previous months.

The SMMT added car manufacturing achieved £100,000 in value added per employee in 2014 compared with £74,000 in 2010, a 35 per cent increase, and twice as much as the average for UK workers.

Production volumes are up more than 50 per cent since 2009 and "significant" investments are planned, with new models set to hit production lines in the coming months, showing the UK car industry growing on a global scale, said the SMMT.

Chief executive Mike Hawes said: "These figures are testament to the ever-increasing demand for the diverse, high-quality range of cars we make in the UK.

"The sector is ahead of the game on productivity, with investment in efficient, high-tech manufacturing processes and a highly skilled workforce resulting in huge gains over the past decade.

"This success has been built on significant industry investment and has also relied on a positive relationship with government, essential if the industry is to maintain its international competitiveness."