Independent garages can be confident of seeing plenty of potential Honda servicing/repair work in the future following the announcement that the Japanese car giant will make a £267 million production investment programme at its Swindon plant – creating hundreds of new jobs in the process.
The firm said it was the biggest single investment at the site in over a decade, supporting the introduction of a new Civic, a new CR-V model and a new 1.6 litre diesel engine.
Around 500 new workers have been recruited this year as part of the expansion plans, taking the total workforce to 3,500.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “This multi-million pound investment by Honda in its 20th year of car production in the UK is great news for Swindon and the automotive sector. Having created a host of new jobs, the investment supports Government’s ambition to encourage new investment and exports as a route to renewed growth and a more balanced economy.”
Production at the plant is forecast to double by the end of the year to 183,000 cars compared with 2011, rising to 250,000 within the next three years.
Dave Hodgetts, Managing Director of Honda UK, said: “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 past 25 years.”
