At Full Chat

There's no doubt that national newspapers run too many negative motoring- related stories. So this column is going to be overwhelmingly optimistic and upbeat, and you can thank the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for that. It's the mouthpiece for the UK's massively important auto business and has just published a fascinating fact-filled booklet. Sadly, most people won't be able to get their hands on the 38-page guide due to a limited print run - so I'm going to pass on some of the engrossing information it contains.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Mike Rutherford

07th June 2005

One of the key things it points out is how much better new motors have become in terms of their CO2 emissions. In the past seven years the output of city cars, MPVs, SUVs, superminis, family, executive and luxury cars has dropped by up to 20 per cent. And while 4x4s seem to get berated for the road space they occupy, most are actually shorter than the average estate car. What's more, while London Mayor Ken Livingstone may have condemned the use of SUVs in the capital, the proportion on its streets is less than that in places such as Edinburgh or Sheffield.

Also the green brigade seem to overlook that the unfairly targeted Range Rovers, Toyota Land Cruisers and Jeep Grand Cherokees sell in surprisingly low volumes. Relatively small, fuel-efficient and clean models such as the Land Rover Freelander, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan X-Trail are the top-sellers. And although new car sales in the UK have grown by around half a million in the last decade, the vast majority are accounted for by economical city cars and superminis. Talking of mpg, socially responsible diesel car sales have more than doubled since the Nineties.

Sure, not everything the motor industry does is right. But even after taking the disgraceful MG Rover closure into account, car production in the UK is still about as high as it was a decade ago. Did you know we produce 1.5 million motors a year here? And it gets even better. There are no fewer than seven commercial vehicle makers and 20 internationally recognised and admired companies building cars in Britain. Figures show that these UK-based manufacturers turn over a colossal ΂£46 billion per annum. They also employ 830,000 people, who help export ΂£21.5 billion worth of vehicles.

But perhaps the most telling revelation is that tax on petrol rocketed from 59.6 per cent in 1989 to an obscene 73.1 per cent in 2004. In total us motorists provide Gordon Brown's Treasury with ΂£43.1 billion per annum. This begs the question what would happen to the NHS, education and law enforcement if we all ditched our cars in favour of public transport? Like I said, very few members of the public will be able to get their hands on a copy of Motor Industry Facts 2005. But you can see it in all its glory at www.smmt.co.uk, so download it now and feel good about motoring in the UK.