Honda closes Swindon car factory

Following media reports the day before, on 19 February Honda confirmed it will close its Swindon car manufacturing facility with the loss of around 3500 jobs. According to Honda, the closure forms part of wider global restructuring plans. Honda also said the news comes as the Japanese firm “accelerates its commitment to electrified cars, in response to the unprecedented changes in the global automotive industry”.

As a result, Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd. officially informed employees of its proposal to close its Swindon vehicle manufacturing plant in the UK in 2021. The plant currently produces 150,000 cars per year. And therefore this means there will be between 600,000 and 750,000 fewer tyres in the UK OE supply market.

However, Honda’s European HQ will continue to be located in the UK. It will be focused on serving the needs of our European customers.

The global restructuring programme will also affect Honda’s automobile operations in Turkey. Honda Turkiye A.S. currently produces 38,000 units per year. The company will cease manufacturing current Civic sedan model in 2021 and intends to continue its business operations. Honda Turkiye A.S. reports that it will continue to hold constructive dialogue with Turkish stakeholders during this period.

Katsushi Inoue, chief officer for European Regional Operations, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and President, Honda Motor Europe said “In light of the unprecedented changes that are affecting our industry, it is vital that we accelerate our electrification strategy and restructure our global operations accordingly. As a result, we have had to take this difficult decision to consult our workforce on how we might prepare our manufacturing network for the future. This has not been taken lightly and we deeply regret how unsettling today’s announcement will be for our people.”