UK car output rose 9 percent in August - SMMT

LONDON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - British car production rose 9.1 percent in August compared with the same month last year, an industry body said on Thursday, cautioning future growth would depend on Britain continuing to trade competitively after its vote to leave the European Union.

Output rose to 109,004 vehicles last month, the highest for 14 years, with 75 percent of cars built in Britain sold to overseas markets, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Britain's overwhelmingly foreign-owned car industry backed remaining in the European Union due to the benefits of tariff-free trade and standardised regulations.

But investment decisions in the sector often occur several years before models roll off the production line, meaning the effect of the June 23 vote may not be felt until the end of the decade and beyond.

"Future (Frankfurt: 923414 - news) success depends on continued investment in plant and products and that in turn depends on the UK maintaining internationally competitive business and trading conditions," SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said.

Britain is not expected to trigger official divorce proceedings from the EU, which are due to last two years, until early 2017. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Mark Potter)