30/01/2009

Honda Shuts UK Factory For Four Months

Japanese carmaker Honda is to close its UK base for four months this evening, due to a slump in sales.

Production at the motor plant in Swindon, Wiltshire, is to cease until June 1.

Over 3,000 of the 4,000 employees will be affected by the closure. It is understood they will receive their full basic pay for two months, but around 60% of their wages for the following months of production shutdown.

Honda has stressed its commitment to retaining its Swindon workforce until the autumn when the Jazz model is due to go into production.

The closure at the Swindon base is thought to be one of the longest in Britain's recent industrial history.

Meanwhile, Honda has today announced its net profit for the three months to December dropped by a dramatic 89%.

The company now expects profit for the year to March 2009 to be 80bn yen (£627m), less than half its earlier forecast of 185bn yen.

A number of car manufacturers have also cut production, and axed a number of jobs due to the huge clump in sales due to the recession.

Bentley, Vauxhall and Jaguar Land Rover have all stopped production or cut the working week as demand for their cars fall.

(JM/BMcC)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

21 November 2008
Honda Halt Production for Two Months
Car manufacturer Honda has announced it will halt production at its Swindon plant for two months, next year, due to the "dramatic change" in the global market. The Japanese car giant also said the plant's 4,800 employees will be laid off for 50 days - the duration of the closure - although staff will receive basic pay, the company said.
31 March 2015
Honda To Invest £200m In UK Plant
Honda has announced it is to invest £200m in its UK plant. The company has said its flagship production facility in Europe, which is located in Swindon, Wiltshire, said the plant will become a "global production hub" for the next generation Civic five-door model.
05 December 2008
Honda Announces Plans To Quit Formula One
Honda has announced plans to pull out of Formula One championship events, if they cannot find a buyer by the end of the month. Staff at the motor company's plant in Brackley, Northamptonshire, has been warned they face redundancy with the news the team has been put up for sale.
09 December 2004
UK trade deficit gap widens by 0.9bn
The UK’s deficit on trade in goods and services is estimated to have widened by around 0.9 billion in October up from a deficit of £2.9 billion in September to £3.8 billion in October.
29 January 2004
Bird flu vaccine could take 'several months': WHO
The production of a vaccine against 'bird flu' - a new outbreak which so far has caused a number of deaths - could take several months, a senior United Nations health official said today.