Swindon Honda production ends after 35 years

The last Honda car has rolled off of Swindon's production line.

As of 30 July, the South Marston factory has officially ceased production and the company has thanked workers for their contributions and pledged to leave a lasting positive legacy in the local community. 

In 2019, Honda Motor Company announced a restructuring of its global automobile manufacturing operations, which included the cessation of production at the UK plant, at the end of the current model production lifecycle of the Civic Hatchback. 

In March this year, Honda announced it had entered into a contract for sale of its Swindon site. Originally purchased by the Japanese car manufacturer in 1985, the site will be sold to Panattoni, Europe’s largest developer of new build industrial and logistics facilities.

Jason Smith, Director at Honda of the UK Manufacturing said: “Today is a sad day as we bring production operations to a close, but I’m confident our associates share my pride in everything we have achieved during our time in Swindon. I am incredibly moved by the dignity and pride displayed by our associates throughout the last two years. I’d like to thank them all for their continued hard work and dedication in what has been an incredibly emotional time for us all.” 

In the final months of production, a number of activities took place including a site-wide visual campaign thanking associates and highlighting their achievements, displays of previous models built at the Swindon plant, and re-instating the original infamous ‘Rivers of Babylon’ music which was played at the start of each shift. 

As part of its continued efforts to leave a positive legacy in the local community, Honda says it hopes to redevelop a section of the site (subject to planning permission) not included in the main site sale, to create a 1.3-acre ‘Honda Heritage Garden’. The garden, which will aim to provide past employees and local communities a green space to visit, will include two Honda memorial trees, which are currently located on the main site to remember associates who passed away during service. The garden design will also include a play area and spaces for schools and local groups to learn about nature. 

Ahead of the end of production, Honda donated STEM learning kits and a number of pre-production vehicles to local schools and colleges to help inspire future generations of engineers in a bid to maintain Swindon’s engineering heritage.