Two new Honda civic models are set to be manufactured in Swindon for the European car market as automotive companies look to use greater local input in to adapt designs for different regions.
Following the announcement that there is to be a new Type R version of the Civic by Manabu Nishimae, Honda Motor Europe’s President, at the Paris Motor, it has been confirmed that this will be made in the UK.
It will be joined on the production lines in Swindon by the new Civic Wagon model, an estate version of Honda’s popular Civic five door model, will be manufactured at its plant in Swindon
However, the Honda Jazz will cease to be made in Swindon from 2014 and will now be produced by outside of Europe.
The exact location is still to be decided but possible destinations include the Suzuka Factory in Japan and Honda Automobile Company China, which currently manufacture the Honda Jazz being sold in other marketplaces, as the company stated it expects to benefit from production economies of scale as a result of the shift.
Production volume at Honda UK Manufacturing (HUM) is forecast to remain unchanged at 182,000 for the financial year ending March 2013.
Honda’s CEO Ito stated that Honda must address the needs of customers around the world, by continuing to evolve and develop its global production operation.
This global operation reform will see the introduction of initiatives designed to achieve greater local input to better respond to the voice of local customers whilst also taking steps to improve production efficiencies by expanding economies of scales in global sourcing and production.
Honda recently announced a £267m investment programme in the UK to support the production of new Civic, new CR-V and a new 1.6 litre diesel engine.
As part of Honda’s localisation activities, the development and design of the Civic Wagon has been conducted locally in the European region.
