Coventry-based Jaguar Land Rover is driving a boom in British car making.

As UK car production hit a seven-year high in the first half of the year, the luxury car marker reported a record June for sales in the UK and Europe.

Last month JLR achieved retail sales of almost 19,000 vehicles in the two regions, and a further 20,000 in the rest of the world.

Global sales in the first six months of the year were 239,212 vehicles, about the same number as the same period last year.

However the company suffered a big fall in its figures for China.

Sales there plunged 27 per cent for the year so far, due to a softening of market conditions and production ramping up for the locally produced Range Rover Evoque.

The company opened a new car plant just outside Shanghai in a joint venture with Chinese car maker Chery in November last year.

In terms of production, a total 793,642 cars were built in the UK between January and June, up by 0.3 per cent on a year ago, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

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It marks the best half-year since 2008 and means three cars a minute were made in the period, the SMMT said.

In June, the number of cars made rose 5.4 per cent on a year ago, with demand for exports driving the increase.

In contrast, demand for cars in the UK fell 7.1 per cent.

Overall, production volumes have risen by more than 50 per cent since 2009, the SMMT said.

It said new models and “significant” planned investments meant it expected the industry to continue to grow.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the figures showed the UK’s investment in high-tech manufacturing had paid off.

He said: “Today’s 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.”

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