By Guy Taylor British vehicle production rose 17 per cent last year as an ease on the global semiconductor shortage and increasing electrified output drove growth. Some 1,025,474 cars and commercial vehicles rolled off factory lines at a value of £50bn, with the increase marking the best growth rate since 2010. Production of battery powered and hybrid models surged 48 per cent, accounting for almost two fifths of overall output, despite concerns of a slowdown in the latter part of the year. The European Union (EU) remained the sector’s largest global market, taking 60.3 per cent of exports, fo…