Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd (informally HUM) was a British automotive manufacturing company, and the United Kingdom-based manufacturing subsidiary of the multinational automotive company Honda. Based in Swindon, England, HUM operated manufacturing plants that included casting, engine assembly, pressing, welding, painting, and car assembly activities.[1] At the time of its closure, it employed around 3,400 people at the plants, which occupied a site covering around 370 acres.[2]
By 2009, Honda had invested almost £1.4 billion in the Swindon plants.[2] In 2008, they produced 230,423 cars.[1] In 2016, annual unit production was down to 134,146 units.[3] In early 2019, it was announced the entire manufacturing plant in Swindon would close. The plant closed on 30 July 2021, ending over 36 years of Honda production in Europe.
Honda in the United Kingdom
Distant view of the plant in 2006
Having gained ground in the United Kingdom with its popular range of motorcycles during the 1960s, Honda first imported cars to the United Kingdom in 1966 with a 600cc 2-seater sport car, followed by 600cc 4-seater car. In 1972, the original Civic was launched, going on sale at a time when Japanese-built cars (particularly Nissan's range of Datsun-badged models) were enjoying a surge in sales. The larger Accord joined the range in 1976, followed by the Prelude coupe in 1979.
In 1980, Honda entered a venture with British Leyland in order to build Honda-based designs in BL factories. The first product of this venture was the 1981 Triumph Acclaim, which was produced for three years until it was replaced by the Rover 200 Series; both cars were based on the Honda Ballade.
In the meantime, the two companies worked together on "Project XX", first announced in 1980 as a new medium-sized luxury saloon due for a mid-1980s launch. This evolved into the Rover 800 Series, launched in 1986, and based on the Japan-built Honda Legend.
Around the same time, Honda agreed for BL/Austin Rover to build versions for the UK of its Ballade saloon alongside the Rover 200 Series at Longbridge. The Ballade's successor, the Concerto, was also built at Longbridge, and was based on the second generation Rover 200 Series.
HUM was established in 1985, and began engine production in 1989.[1][6] In 1992, production of the Accord (which had the same design as the Rover 600 Series, but used different engines) began in Swindon, while a second engine line was added.[1] In 1994, production of the Civic began in Swindon. Also that year, the Rover-Honda venture ended due to BMW's takeover of Rover. Despite this, the 1995 Rover 400 Series was based on the new Civic.[1]
In August 2000, it was reported that UK-made Honda cars would be exported to Japan for the first time. In the same year, the plant began production of the CR-V SUV, which had been sold since 1997 in the UK.[7] In September 2001, HUM opened a second car assembly plant at Swindon, adding two hundred jobs and increasing capacity to 250,000 vehicles a year.[8][6] From this year onward, production of the Civic Type R moved to Swindon, and would remain there for the rest of the plant's life.[6] In December, plant workers voted to form a union, and be represented by the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union.[9]
In 2002, HUM began export to North America[6] while production of the Accord ended, with the new model being imported from Japan. In October 2002, Ken Keir, managing director of HUM, stated that Honda would maintain vehicle production in the United Kingdom, irrespective of whether or not it joined the Eurozone.[10] In 2003, the plant produced its one millionth vehicle.[6]
In September 2006, it was announced that Honda would be recruiting an additional 700 workers for HUM, and raising production at the site by 32% to 250,000 vehicles per year.[11][12] In February 2008, it was announced that Honda would be making an £80 million investment in new production facilities at Swindon, for the manufacture of plastic car parts and metal castings for engines.[13] That year, the plant produced its two millionth vehicle.[6]
On 30 January 2009, due to the recession, which had caused a fall in sales, it was announced that direct workers at the Swindon site would be laid off for four months until 1 June, with full pay for the first two months and about half-pay for the remainder. Employees in the indirect staff or maintenance categories would instead lose approximately £1,500 and remain at work.[14]
In October 2009, HUM began production of the Jazz, which until then had been imported from Japan.[15] Production of the Jazz continued until 2014, when the new generation brought the model back to being imported from Japan.
In September 2012, Honda announced a £267 million investment programme at the Swindon site, to support the introduction of new models of the Civic and CR-V, and a new 1.6 litre diesel engine.[16][17] The investment would take total investment at the site to over £1.5 billion, and would increase the workforce to 3,500.[16][17]
In 2015, Honda planned to invest £200 million to turn Swindon into the global production hub of the next generation of the Civic five-door hatchback, providing about half of its production for export markets.[18][19] It would bring cumulative investment in the plant to over £2.2 billion.[19] As part of the plan, the plant would stop production of the CR-V.[18] In 2018, production of the CR-V ended after making 1,209,174 vehicles.[6][20]
The trade deal between Japan and the European Union, agreed in July 2017 and signed off in July 2018, put an end to import tariffs on car imports between the two economic zones. These had formed a significant part of the rationale for building the plant in 1985; what were termed by government as "Brexit uncertainties" after the 2016 referendum contributed further to doubt about the future of the plant.[21][22] In February 2019, Honda announced that the plant would close in 2021, with the loss of about 3,500 jobs in the area, and production shifting to Japan, North America and China.[23][24] Honda stated that the industry's transition to electrified cars (including pure-electric, plug-in hybrid and "self-charging" hybrids) was behind the closure, as it made less business sense to retool the Swindon plant due to its small production volume relative to North American and Asian plants.[25] The plant was said to be running at around half capacity,[24] and it was already projected to close for six days in April 2019 as part of the company's Brexit preparations.[26] In December 2020, production was halted temporarily as there was a delay in parts deliveries.[27]
HUM officially ceased operations on 30 July 2021, with the final car produced, a grey Civic hatchback to be exported to the USA, rolling off the line the previous day. On display during the final day of production was a unique Honda Civic Type-R with workers' signatures on the bonnet and doors, the name 'Honda of the UK Manufacturing' over the front-left wheel arch, and a Union Jack emblazoned on the back. The closure also marked the end of Honda manufacturing in Europe. Of Swindon's 3,400 workers, 200 remained to decommission the plant.[28]
The site was bought by Panattoni, an American industrial real estate developer, who intended to use it for a large-scale logistics operation.[29] Demolition of the car plant began in March 2024.[30]
Honda announced in March 2021 that the site had been sold to Panattoni, an American industrial real estate developer, who would use it for a large-scale logistics operation.[31]
On 24 June 2022, the Honda Heritage Garden was opened on part of the site. It includes a public playground that commemorates Swindon's manufacturing history (trains, aircraft, cars), plus trees planted in memory of two workers who died in service.[32][33][34]
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and battery-powered equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Caterham Cars, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lister Cars, Lotus,MG, McLaren, Mini, MOKE, Morgan, Rolls-Royce and TVR. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Nissan, Toyota, BMW, and Vauxhall Motors. Commercial vehicle manufacturers active in the UK include Alexander Dennis, Dennis Eagle, IBC Vehicles, Leyland Trucks, TEVVA and London Electric Vehicle Company.
The Rover Group plc was the British vehicle manufacturing conglomerate known as "BL plc" until 1986, which had been a state-owned company since 1975. It initially included the Austin Rover Group car business, Land Rover Group, Freight Rover vans and Leyland Trucks. The Rover Group also owned the dormant trademarks from the many companies that had merged into British Leyland and its predecessors such as Triumph, Morris, Wolseley, Riley and Alvis.
The Honda Civic is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1972. As of 2023, the Civic is positioned between the Honda Fit/City and Honda Accord in Honda's global car line-up.
The Honda Accord, also known as the Honda Inspire in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States since 1989. The Accord nameplate has been applied to a variety of vehicles worldwide, including coupes, station wagons, hatchbacks and a Honda Crosstour crossover.
Longbridge plant is an industrial complex in Longbridge, Birmingham, England, currently leased by SAIC as a research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary. Vehicle assembly ended in 2016.
The Honda Ascot is a compact sedan manufactured by Honda and marketed only in Japan from 1989 until 1997. The first generation produced two versions based on the Honda Accord CB series called the Ascot and from 1993 to 1996 a "pillared hardtop" called the Ascot Innova. The Innova shared much of its mechanicals with the European-market Accord manufactured at the Honda UK facility in Swindon, England, and was essentially the badge engineered Rover 600. The second generation was a platform improvement, shared with the Japan-only sedan called the Honda Rafaga. The "Ascot" name was chosen with reference to the Ascot Racecourse and Ascot tie, in order to add the model an alleged air of class and elegance. Honda Ascot was also used on a range of one-cylinder motorcycles in the first half of the 1980s.
The Honda CR-V is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by Japanese automaker Honda since 1995. Initial models of the CR-V were built using the same platform as the Civic.
The Honda Concerto is a car produced from 1988 to 1996. Designed to aim at European tastes, it was jointly developed by Honda and the Austin Rover Group and was introduced in Japan on 15 June 1988, and in European markets in October 1989. Japanese production finished in October 1992 and British production finished in 1995. The car was named for the musical composition and was a successor to the second generation Honda Ballade, a higher specification Honda Civic. All Japanese versions were exclusive to Japanese Honda dealerships called Honda Clio.
Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. is an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Wuhan, China, and a 50:50 joint-venture between Dongfeng Motor Group and Honda Motor Company. It currently produces a variety of Honda models also available in other markets and a handful of China-only products. The company sells vehicles under the Honda and Ciimo marques.
Honda of Canada Manufacturing is located in Alliston, Ontario and is the automobile manufacturing division of Honda Canada Inc.
The Honda Civic Type R is a series of hot hatchback and sports sedan models based on the Civic, developed and produced by Honda since September 1997. The first Civic Type R was the third model to receive Honda's Type R badge. Type R versions of the Civic typically feature a lightened and stiffened body, specially tuned engine, and upgraded brakes and chassis, and are offered only in five- or six-speed manual transmission. Like other Type R models, red is used in the background of the Honda badge to distinguish it from other models.
Plant Oxford located in Cowley, southeast Oxford, England, is a BMW car assembly facility where Mini cars are built. The plant forms the Mini production triangle along with Plant Hams Hall where engines are manufactured and Plant Swindon where body pressings and sub-assemblies are built.
The American Honda Motor Company, Inc. is the North American subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company. It was founded in 1959. The company combines product sales, service and coordinating functions of Honda in North America, and is responsible for distribution, marketing and sales of Honda and Acura brand automobiles, Honda Powersports products, Honda Power Equipment products, Honda Engines products, Honda Marine engines, and the HondaJet aircraft.
The tenth-generation Honda Civic(FC/FK) is a compact car (C-segment) manufactured by Honda from 2015 until 2022, replacing the ninth-generation Civic. It was first released in November 2015 in the North American market, followed by its introduction in Europe and Asia-Pacific in 2016, and in Japan in 2017. This generation marked the unification of the Civic range, as Honda ceased making a dedicated version for the European market—a strategy employed since the seventh-generation Civic—in favour of a globally marketed model. As the result, three body styles were introduced with a near-identical design which are sedan, hatchback, and coupe.
Honda Australia Pty Ltd, commonly known as Honda Australia, is an Australian wholly owned subsidiary of Honda based in Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Australia.
PT Honda Prospect Motor is a subsidiary of Honda automobiles for production, marketing and export of passenger cars in Indonesia. Based in Jakarta, it is a joint venture company between Honda (51%) and Prospect Motor (49%). Established on 15 February 1999, HPM replaced PT Imora Motor as the sole distributor of Honda cars in Indonesia.
The eleventh-generation Honda Civic(FE/FL) is a compact car (C-segment) manufactured by Honda since 2021, replacing the tenth-generation Civic. It was launched in the North American market in June 2021, Southeast Asia in August, Japan and China in September, and Australia and New Zealand in December. It was launched in Pakistan in March 2022, followed by Europe in late 2022. The fastback/liftback variation was unveiled on June 23, 2021, for North America and Japan. This generation is also the first Civic since the second-generation not to offer a coupe version due to its declining sales.
Honda de México S.A. de C.V. is a subsidiary of the Japanese company Honda founded in September 1985 and headquartered in El Salto, Jalisco, Mexico.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
