The Honda Civic’s 10th generation was unveiled today at the company’s Swindon, UK, manufacturing facility. Production of the vehicle has already begun, and the first cars have begun to arrive in North America.
With the new Civic hatchback expected to be shipped to more than 70 nations worldwide, including European markets, North America, and Canada, Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) has recently established itself as the world’s primary producer of the vehicle.
With 3,600 employees and serving as the company’s premier European production location, the Swindon factory is an important part of Honda’s global supply chain. In order to prepare the facility for the manufacturing of the new Civic, the corporation has committed an additional $200 million. As a result, Honda has already invested more than $2 billion in HUM since 1989.
Honda Motor Europe’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Katsushi Inoue, said: “We look forward with confidence as we increase the role of our Swindon production facility when we unveil this new Civic. This facility has seen major investments from Honda, and this next stage is a big validation of the knowledge and abilities of our team. Additionally, by extending our export markets outside of Europe, we are defining a clear and sustainable future position for HUM.”
Honda’s previous great sales performance in Europe is built upon with the introduction of the 10th generation Civic. Honda is the fastest-growing mainstream brand in Europe in 2016*, with sales up 33% from 2015 as the company moves closer to its next sales target of 200,000 units sold in the continent.
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Honda still makes products in the UK?
Honda said in September 2006 that it would be hiring 700 more people for HUM and increasing annual output at the facility by 32% to 250,000 automobiles.
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[12]
It was announced in February 2008 that Honda would invest $80 million in new production facilities in Swindon to produce metal castings for engines as well as plastic auto parts.
[13] The factory made its two millionth car in the same year. [6]
A four-month layoff of direct employees at the Swindon location, with full pay for the first two months and around half-pay for the remaining months, was announced on January 30, 2009, as a result of the recession-related decline in sales. Instead, 1,500 workers in the indirect staff or maintenance categories would lose their jobs but continue to work. [14]
The Jazz, which had been imported from Japan up until that point, started being produced by HUM in October 2009.
[15] The Jazz was still being manufactured up until 2014, when the latest generation forced imports from Japan once again.
Honda announced a 267 million investment program at the Swindon facility in September 2012 to support the launch of new Civic and CR-V vehicles as well as a new 1.6-liter diesel engine.
[16][17] The investment would bring the site’s overall investments to about 1.5 billion and expand employment to 3,500. [16][17]
Honda intended to invest 200 million ($300 million) to make Swindon the center of the world’s Civic five-door hatchback production, with nearly half of its output going to international markets.
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[19] The total amount invested in the plant would increase to above 2.2 billion. [19] The plant would cease making the CR-V as part of the proposal. [18] The CR-manufacture V’s ceased in 2018 after 1,209,174 units were built. [6] [20]
The import duties on cars between the two economic zones were eliminated as a result of the trade agreement between Japan and the European Union, which was reached in July 2017 and approved in July 2018. These had been a key component of the justification for constructing the plant in 1985, and what the government later referred to as “Brexit concerns” following the 2016 referendum added to uncertainty over the plant’s future. [21] [22] Honda said in February 2019 that the plant would close in 2021, resulting in the loss of around 3,500 employment in the region and a transfer in production to China, Japan, and the United States. [23] In order to prepare for Brexit, the facility had already planned a six-day closure in April. [24] Due to a delay in part deliveries, work was briefly stopped in December 2020. [25]
The last HUM vehicle, a gray Civic hatchback, rolled off the assembly line on July 29, 2021, marking the company’s formal shutdown. Honda’s production in Europe has come to an end as a result of the closure. Only 200 of the 3,400 employees in Swindon will be needed to shut down the plant.
Currently, where are Honda automobiles made?
Although some Honda vehicles are still produced in Japan, the majority are constructed in Mexico and the United States. Honda car production facilities in the US, Japan, and Mexico all produce vehicles for the North American market.
Honda is leaving the UK, why?
In 1985, the Japanese automaker relocated to the Wiltshire town, building its shop on the site of a former RAF base where Spitfire fighter jets were originally developed and tested.
Since then, employees—referred to as “Honda Associates”—have produced 3.7 million automobiles.
At its height, 680 vehicles per day were leaving the assembly plant and being tested on the former Spitfire runway.
The factory initially produced the Accord, followed by the Jazz and CRV, but it was the Honda Civic that emerged as Swindon’s standout item and was sent all throughout Europe.
For decades, University of Bath professor Andrew Graves has worked in the automotive sector, from mass-production companies to Formula One.
The British auto industry’s standards were awful when they arrived, but they quickly improved.
However, the corporation faced the challenge of electric automobiles, which represented a full re-invention of the sector, while sales were declining in Europe and increasing in America and Japan.
However, the announcement that the Swindon facility would be shut down by Honda came as a complete shock to analysts and employees in Tokyo.
When the plant’s closure was announced, Jim Brennan, who had only recently begun working there, said: “I liked working at Honda, and I was halfway through an apprenticeship, so it was just like my world had crashed.”
However, the decision occurred at a time when the British government was split on whether to stay in the European Single Market or leave and risk 10% export duties on sales to the EU. In Tokyo, Honda executives disputed that the decision had anything to do with Brexit.
The Swindon facility was top-notch, but because we decided to leave Europe—the region that was most essential to Honda—they stuck with America and Japan.
Honda may be leaving the UK.
Honda’s Swindon plant promises “thousands” of jobs, securing a brighter future. When the Japanese company chose to stop producing cars in the UK, it pledged to leave a lasting legacy. Honda has agreed to sell its Swindon auto plant, and the buyer has pledged to create “thousands” of jobs.
What has Honda UK become?
Today, Honda of the UK Manufacturing (Honda) stated that it had signed a contract to sell its Swindon facility. The facility, which the Japanese automaker initially bought in 1985, will be sold to Panattoni, the biggest builder of new industrial and logistical facilities in Europe.
At the end of the current Civic Hatchback model cycle in July 2021, Honda Motor announced in 2019 that production would halt at the UK factory as part of a restructuring of its global vehicle manufacturing activities. Honda promised to leave the site in a responsible manner with a lasting legacy for Swindon after the closure announcement.
Director at Honda of the UK Manufacturing, Jason Smith, said: “We are glad to have found a trustworthy new owner for the property. We are convinced that the new owner can move the development forward in a commercially timely manner and create exciting opportunities for Swindon and the larger community based on our interactions with Panattoni and our early discussions with Swindon Borough Council.
Honda will begin dismantling the Swindon facility as soon as production ends on July 30, 2021. Once the required consents have been gained, it is projected that the land will be formally transferred in the spring of 2022, at which point Panattoni will begin the site’s regeneration and redevelopment.
Panattoni’s development director, James Watson, stated: “In order to support existing firms wishing to grow in Swindon and draw new employers to the area, Panattoni has committed to investing over 700 million into the site. To revitalize the property, we will collaborate closely with Honda, Swindon Borough Council, the locals, and their representatives.
Panattoni’s managing director for the UK, Matthew Byrom, stated: “Our capacity to operate at scale is demonstrated by the acquisition of the 370-acre Honda site. Thousands of additional job opportunities in key positions supporting the operation of the local and regional economies will result from the redevelopment of this critical employment site.
Swindon Borough Council Chief Executive Susie Kemp said: “Following Honda’s departure, Swindon will take a big step forward in its revitalization with the fresh opportunities described by Panattoni. The local economy will benefit greatly from their investment, and we are thrilled that this renovation will bring thousands of jobs to Swindon and the surrounding area. As a result of Panattoni’s recent development of the nearby Symmetry Park site, we already have a good working relationship with them and are forward to collaborate with them over the coming year. I think that today’s statement proves that Honda’s main objective was to find a trustworthy new owner.
Honda will examine alternatives for the use of tiny portions of the site’s edge that are not needed for Panattoni’s development by the neighboring communities as part of its ongoing efforts to leave a constructive legacy in the neighborhood.
With assistance from Honda, Panattoni will now start all necessary planning work with Swindon Borough Council.
Why is Honda ceasing operations?
Reuters, 22 April 2018 – Due to chip shortages and COVID-19 lockdowns, Honda Motor Co (7267. T) plans to reduce output on two lines of one of its domestic facilities by around 50% in early May, the company announced on Thursday.
What country produces Honda engines?
Honda manufactures tiny engines at 5 facilities across the world. We can produce well over 7 million pieces each year. Thailand, Japan, and the United States are the main suppliers of engines for the American market.
What plant produces Honda Crvs for the UK market?
For the UK market, where are CR-Vs made? At its production facility in Swindon, England, Honda produces CR-Vs for the UK and the wider European market.
Which automobiles are produced in the UK?
Made in the UK
- In Cowley, Oxford, MINIMINI offers the MINI Clubman and MINI Countryman.
- Swindon Honda CR-V and Civic models.
- In Burnaston, Derbyshire, Toyota offers the Avensis, Auris hybrid, and Auris.
- In Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, Nissan sells the Juke, Qashqai, Note, Leaf, and Q30.
- Exige, Evora, and Lotus Elise in Norfolk.