Honda invests £267m in UK factory

Honda has announced it is investing £267 million into its Swindon plant, supporting the production of the brand new CR-V and the latest Civic.

This is the Japanese firm’s single biggest investment into its UK manufacturing base in over a decade, and comes with the news that Swindon is on course to double its output in 2012 compared with 2011.

First Drive Review: Honda Civic (2012 onwards)

First Drive Review: Honda CR-V 2WD 2.0 SE (2013 onwards)

Honda’s Swindon factory began building the latest Civic in December last year; this September sees the start of new CR-V production; and in December 2012 the plant will also begin manufacturing the Civic’s new 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine.

In support of this expansion, Honda has recruited 500 new “Associates” into the Swindon workforce since January, bringing the total number of employees to 3,500.

As a result, the factory is expecting to produce as many as 183,000 units by the end of the year – double the figure in 2011. The plan is to increase this still further, with 250,000 units targeted by 2015.

All of this is good news for the UK’s balance of trade, too, as at present 60% of Swindon production is exported. Over 60 countries benefit from the factory’s hard work, with engines and cars going not only into Europe but as far away as the Middle East, Africa and Australia as well.

Dave Hodgetts, Managing Director of Honda UK:

“This investment programme underpins Honda’s commitment to manufacturing in Britain and to our UK workforce. It reaffirms the Swindon plant’s position as the cornerstone of Honda’s European operations, as it has been for the last 25 years.”

Here’s to another successful quarter of a century, then.

Honda to double production at Swindon plant

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First Drive Review: Honda Civic (2012 onwards)

First Drive Review: Honda CR-V 2WD 2.0 SE (2013 onwards)