Honda to close Swindon car plant in 2021

The plant which currently produces the Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R, manufacturers around 150,000 cars per year, and employs 3,500 people.

Established in 1985, it is Honda’s only EU based manufacturing facility.

In an official statement the firm’s Chief Officer for European Regional Operations, Katsushi Inoue said that the decision was driven by the firm’s desire to accelerate its electrification strategy and to refocus activity in regions where it expects to have high production volumes. The firm’s Turkey factory will also close as all European market production is consolidated to Japan where the company is based.

Talking to the BBC, the firm’s senior vice-president for Europe Ian Howells, who has previously warned of the dangers of a no-deal Brexit, denied that the UK’s impending exit from the EU was a factor. Back in September Howells had said that despite Brexit uncertainty Honda was committed to the future of the Swindon plant.

Meanwhile Swindon MPs Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland issued a joint statement expressing surprise and disappointment at the news and pledging to work with Honda, the government and the trade unions to support the workforce.