Honda has confirmed plans to close its Swindon plant in 2021 due to the strong possibility of a no-deal Brexit. Honda made an official announcement stating that the company “accelerates its commitment to electrified cars, in response to the unprecedented changes in the global automotive industry.” The press release further added, “The significant challenges of electrification will see Honda revise its global manufacturing operations, and focus activity in regions where it expects to have high production volumes,”.
The Swindon plant is the global production hub for the tenth-generation Civic, building both the Civic hatchback and the Civic Type R performance variant. Honda has informed its UK employees that the plant will shut down in 2021 when the current models’ production lifecycle ends.
The closure will no doubt be a huge blow to the UK automotive industry as Honda’s Swindon plant currently manufactures 1,50,000 cars per year and employs approximately 3,500 people. Honda said consultation activity with potentially affected employees has begun already. On the brighter side, Honda’s European headquarters will still be based in the UK.
Honda’s global restructuring plans also involve its operations in Turkey. The company said it would stop making the Civic Sedan at its Gebze plant in 2021. However, the company will continue its business operations in Turkey where they currently produce 38,000 vehicles per year.