On 29-July 2021, the last car ever produced in Honda's Swindon plant - a grey FK7 Honda Civic hatchback - rolled off the production line. Honda officially closed down its manufacturing plant in Swindon, UK, as factory workers completed their final shifts.
The Swindon factory spans 370 acres and has made over 3 million cars.
While it has been looming for some time, the closure of this plant still hit home hard, as it has been a source of livelihood for many Swindon residents, and a contributor to the wider UK economy.
For 36 years, Honda's Swindon plant also produced many of the brand's frenetic Civic Type R models, including the EP3, FN2, FK2 and also the outgoing FK8. Beyond Civics, the Swindon facility also produced models like the Honda CR-V, Accord, and Jazz.
In its heyday, this manufacturing facility was producing close to 250,000 cars annually (at last count, it was 160,000 cars annually). As the clock ticked down to the impending closure, the 3,500-strong workforce in the plant said their farewells to each other, and their workplace.
Moving forward, Honda plans to move production of Europe- and Japan-bound Civics to its Yorii, Japan factory. In 2019, a total of 11% of Swindon-made cars went to the UK market, 6% to Japan and nearly 70% to the United States.
Coming back to the Malaysian market, the all-new 2022 Honda Civic FE launch was slated to take place in Q3 of 2021. This has since been delayed, no thanks to the continuous lockdown restrictions that are currently enforced.
Jason's foremost passion is all things automotive, where he spent his formative working years as a Product Planner and Trainer. An Advanced Driving Instructor by training and an all-round enthusiast, Jason loves going into intricate details about driving dynamics. Will drive anything with 4 wheels and a steering.
